Department for Transport

Cycling

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's publication Road Traffic Estimates: Great Britain 2015, published on 19 May 2016, page 17, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the reported decline in cycling miles between 2014 and 2015.

Mr Robert Goodwill: These figures show that the number of miles cycled is higher than two years ago and the broad trend is a steady increase. Single year comparisons don’t always tell the full story. They can be affected by a number of factors including how the statistics are measured (whether cyclists were on the road or a cycle path for a particular segment of their journey), weather or even topical events (such as the Tour de France, which may explain the significant spike in 2014). The Government remains committed to increasing cycling and doubling the number of journeys. On 27 March the Government published its first Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy in draft. The final Strategy will be published in the summer.

Emergencies

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Highways England had agreed with Dartford Borough Council an up-to-date contingency plan for emergencies.

Andrew Jones: Highways England has a Dartford – Thurrock Crossing Emergency Response Plan which covers 11 major stakeholders. Version 9.0 was issued in September 2015, and the document is reviewed annually.

Diesel Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on how many diesel vehicles there were in the UK by (a) Euro 1, (b) Euro 2, (c) Euro 3, (d) Euro 4, (e) Euro 5, (f) Euro 6 emission categories on the most recent date for which figures are available; and how many vehicles there were on that date that did not conform to a Euro emissions standard.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing database does not include the Euro Emission Standard. However, it does contain the year of first registration from which the number can be estimated. The estimated number of diesel cars licensed at the end of December 2015 that were first registered during the period of which each of the Euro standards were in place are as follows:- Pre Euro 111,083Euro 147,336Euro 2216,309Euro 32,191,698Euro 43,887,142Euro 54,802,451Euro 6474,970 There were 296,788 cars that were imports or older cars for which the date of first registration is unknown.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Performance Standards

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2016 to Question 37536, on Govia Thameslink Railway Reforms Standards, what the predefined contractual change referred to in that Answer is; and what changes have been made to the cancellation and train operating company Minute Delay benchmarks.

Claire Perry: When competing for the Thameslink Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) franchise the Department for Transport gave all bidders certain assumptions to use in relation to the train services to be provided until December 2015 and informed them where it would be a Change to the Franchise Agreement if the actual position was different. As a result of the Change, the benchmarks were reviewed.

Cycling: Per Capita Costs

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2016 to Question 37538, on cycling, what the central and total expenditure per head by region, excluding Cycling Ambition City funding, was in 2015-16.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Information on 2015/16 is provided in the table below, but in context it should be noted that in the five years from 2011/12 to 2015/16, the overall spend per head on cycling in England from the public purse has trebled. And it is this Government which is delivering the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy will establish for the first time the strategic framework for increasing cycling and walking in England - the first step towards achieving long-term change. Regional figures per head for 2015/16 are available centrally for the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, Cycle Rail and Transport for London, and expenditure per head per region for these programmes for 2015/16 is included in the table below. We have also now compiled information on regional spend on Bikeability, which is also reflected in the table below. Note that the Department does not hold a record of regional breakdowns of cycling spending under the Integrated Transport block, Highways England and Local Growth Fund programmes. The figures below therefore do not provide a total regional spend per head and spend on the ground will be significantly greater.  RegionRegional spend per head (£)* for selected programmes 2015/16Includes Cycling Ambition Excludes Cycling AmbitionEast MidlandsDfT spend11Total spend11East of EnglandDfT spend11Total spend11North EastDfT spend65Total spend75North WestDfT spend22Total spend42South EastDfT spend22Total spend22South WestDfT spend33Total spend43West MidlandsDfT spend22Total spend32Yorkshire & HumberDfT spend22Total spend32LondonTotal spend1818 *Figures have been rounded

Railways

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 21 July 2015, to Question 7665, what average number of pilings per shift was achieved by Network Rail's High Output Plant System train during (a) July to September 2015, (b) October to December 2015, (c) January to March 2016 and (d) April to May 2016.

Claire Perry: The following information has been provided by Network Rail: The average number of pilings per shift achieved by Network Rail’s High Output Plant System train during the following months was as follows: a) July to September 2015 – 4.9 piles per shift.b) October to December 2015 – 7.0 piles per shift.c) January to March 2016 – 4.7 piles per shift.d) April to May 2016 – 6.5 piles per shift.

Driving: Licensing

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of a backlog of driving licence renewal applications for people over 70 years old.

Andrew Jones: Currently, the DVLA is processing straightforward applications to renew a driving licence from customers aged 70 and over within three working days of receiving them. Applications that require medical investigations can take longer to process if there is a need to seek further information.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on finalising the route for the second stage of High Speed 2; and when he expects to announce the decision on that route.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In November last year the Secretary of State confirmed plans for accelerating construction of Phase Two from the West Midlands to Crewe so that it opens in 2027, six years earlier than planned. We are developing our plans for the rest of Phase Two and we intend to make a decision on the rest of the route in autumn 2016.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of whether the most recent Public Performance Measure figures reported by Govia Thameslink Railway put that company in breach of its franchise agreement.

Claire Perry: The Public Performance Measure figure does not put Govia Thameslink Railway in breach of their Franchise Agreement. The Franchise Agreement does not include the Public Performance Measure as one of the benchmarks against which their performance is measured. The Department for Transport (DfT) performance benchmarks for Govia Thameslink Railway are for Delay minutes and Cancellations for which GTR are responsible, and Peak Short formation, as specified under Schedule 7.1 of the Franchise Agreement:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/525766/tsgn-franchise-agreement.pdf

Speed Limits

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle speeding by (a) cars, (b) HGVs and (c) buses.

Andrew Jones: The Department educates drivers about the importance of observing speed limits through The Highway Code, the driving test and THINK! campaigns. Enforcement of speeding offences is a matter for the police.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what changes have recently been made to the franchise agreements and ancillary documents for Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd.

Claire Perry: The latest version of the Franchise Agreement, including all recent changes can be seen online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/525766/tsgn-franchise-agreement.pdf

SS Gairsoppa: Salvage

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government has taken to recover funds it is owed by Odyssey Marine Exploration from the deduction of salvage expenses from the Government's share of the silver recovered from SS Gairsoppa.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the value was of the salvage expenses deducted by Odyssey Marine Exploration  from the Government's share of the silver recovered from SS Gairsoppa.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Odyssey Marine Exploration deducted 29,228,972 US Dollars as salvage expenses from the total value of silver bullion recovered from the SS Gairsoppa. The question as to whether or not Odyssey Marine Exploration deducted excessive salvage expenses under the contract, which was awarded in January 2010, is disputed between the parties, and would accordingly need to be the subject of legal proceedings in the United Kingdom and possibly also in the United States of America to resolve. This issue is being kept under review.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Power Stations: Planning

Mrs Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on planning for the location of new decentralised power generation plants.

Brandon Lewis: The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that local planning authorities should set out the strategic priorities for the area in the Local Plan. This should include strategic policies to deliver the provision of infrastructure for energy. The Framework asks local planning authorities to identify opportunities where development can draw its energy supply from decentralised, renewable or low carbon energy supply systems and for co-locating potential heat customers and suppliers. The Framework is supported by planning guidance on renewable and low carbon energy, which sets out how decentralised energy opportunities can be identified. The National Planning Policy Framework and guidance can be found here - http://planningguidance.communities.gov.uk/.

Local Government: Dorset

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the terms of reference are for the financial modelling work being undertaken by local partnerships into models for devolution in Dorset; and what the estimated cost of such work is to (a) the public purse and (b) the Local Government Association.

James Wharton: Local areas are free to develop proposals for devolution as they see fit and any professional input that they may choose to commission, and its cost, are a matter for them.

Landlords: Peterborough

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to approve the draft selective licensing scheme for landlords for Peterborough City Council; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: My department is reviewing the evidence submitted by Peterborough City Council in support of their proposed selective licensing scheme and will make a decision on this in due course.

Almshouses: Rents

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made in his review of the effects of the one per cent rent reduction on small almshouse charities.

Brandon Lewis: The Social Housing Rents (Exceptions and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2016 provided a one year exception for almshouses from the one per cent rent reduction. We are carefully considering the approach for the second year of the reduction onwards, and my officials recently met the Almshouse Association to discuss this. Our aim is to ensure there is a workable and sustainable solution for almshouses, their residents and for taxpayers.

Housing: Construction

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 25 April 2016 to Question 34913, on planning, if he will publish the analysis of the responses on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework aimed at increasing housing supply in sustainable locations.

Brandon Lewis: A consultation on specific changes to the Framework, aimed at increasing housing supply in sustainable locations, closed on 22 February. We are currently analysing the responses.

Local Government: Public Private Partnerships

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 21 April 2016 to Question 33341, when he plans to publish his Department's analysis of the compliance testing of local authorities with the Local Government Transparency Code 2015.

Mr Marcus Jones: We are considering the work undertaken on the testing of local authorities compliance with the Local Government Transparency Code 2015 in the context of the wider work on strengthening local government transparency, including proposals on changes to the Transparency Code, which is currently out to consultation until the 8 July 2016.

Housing: North East

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much he has allocated for housing regeneration in (a) Easington constituency, (b) Country Durham and (c) the North East.

Brandon Lewis: The government is committed to delivering new homes. The table below sets out allocations under the Affordable Homes Programme for 2015/18. Funding allocated for 2015/18County Durham£5,164,746North East region£65,013,147Please note that these figures are indicative and further new homes may be delivered as proposals are firmed up. It is not possible to breakdown the figures further.In addition to this, the local authorities and developers in the North East will be able to benefit from:£140 million for Estate Regeneration£4.7 billion fund to deliver affordable housing, including Shared Ownership Homes£1.2 billion allocated to bring forward land for Starter Homes£3 billion Home Building Fund, to be launched shortly

Local Authorities: Newspaper Press

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of his Department's progress on improving municipal statutory notices since his Department's press release, Councils and media invited to bring statutory notices into 21st century, published on 23rd December 2014.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Statutory Notices Pilots project is now complete. We are currently in the process of giving careful consideration to the findings of the final reports of the 24 pilots, before drawing any conclusions and deciding what action, if any, to take.

Green Belt

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to review his policy on the green belt to take account of changes in the levels of migration.

Brandon Lewis: Local planning authorities are best placed to decide whether changes to estimated population and housing need levels in their area would meet the very special circumstances for permitting inappropriate development in the Green Belt, and the exceptional circumstances in which Green Belt boundaries may be adjusted through the Local Plan process.

Litter

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce littering.

Mr Marcus Jones: This government is committed to reducing litter and have put in place the first-ever national litter strategy.The Government will now for the first time work with town halls, campaign groups and businesses- including fast food firms, manufacturers of chewing gum and the packaging industry- to ensure a coherent and joined-up approach.Since the Government published its response to the CLG Select Committee Report in December I have met with a whole host of NGOs, manufacturers of commonly-littered items, members of both Houses of Parliament, and of course local government to discuss what we can be doing.

Communities and Local Government: UK Membership of EU

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2016 to Question 37198, how many of the leaflets entitled Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK have been returned to his Department; and what the postage cost to the Government has been of such returns.

Mr Mark Francois: I refer my Hon Friend to the Prime Minister's response of 25th May 2016. This information is not collated centrally by the Department.

Communities and Local Government: UK Membership of EU

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will place in the Library copies of all letters, leaflets and other material from his Department circulated to (a) stakeholders and (b) members of the public on the EU Referendum; what the costs of the production and distribution of that material has been since 1 January 2016; and what he estimates the cost of any further production and distribution of such material will be between 6 May 2016 and 23 June 2016.

Mr Mark Francois: Copies of the Government's published documents on the Referendum are available in the Libraries of both Houses. It is not normal practice to publish letters to members of the public and stakeholders. Costs relating to the Referendum will be accounted for in the usual way in Annual Report and Accounts.

Homelessness: Temporary Accommodation

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of the current priority need system for allocating emergency housing in preventing homelessness.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Housing Act 1996 provides that certain people are given a priority need for accommodation. They include households with dependent children, pregnant women and those who are vulnerable. A person can be vulnerable as a result of old age, mental or physical illness or disability or for any other special reason. Other priority need categories include, but are not limited to, those who are vulnerable as a result of serving in her Majesty’s Armed Services, being a looked after child, fleeing violence or abuse, or are homeless as a result of an emergency such as a flood, fire or other disaster.However it is better to prevent a homelessness crisis happening in the first place than to expose households to the stress and upheaval of homelessness. That is why Government has maintained and protected homelessness prevention funding for local authorities through the local government finance settlement totalling £315 million by 2019/20. We want to go further to put prevention at the heart of our approach to homelessness and in December 2015, I made a commitment to work with homelessness organisations and across Departments to consider options, including legislation, to prevent more people from becoming homeless.

Recycling

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding was allocated to local authority recycling schemes in each of the last five years.

Mr Marcus Jones: In November 2012, the Department for Communities and Local Government announced the successful bidders to the Weekly Collection Support Scheme. In nearly all cases, the 81 local authorities in receipt of the fund used their allocations to improve local recycling services for residents while protecting weekly collections of residual waste. The funding allocated was as follows:2012/13: £49.0 million2013/14: £98.9 million2014/15: £69.6 millionIn March 2015, the Department for Communities and Local Government announced the successful bidders to the Recycling Reward Scheme. In all cases, the 41 local authorities in receipt of the fund used their allocations to reward residents for reducing, reusing, or recycling their household waste. The funding allocated was as follows:2014/15: £6.1 million2015/16: £5.0 millionIn addition, from 2011-2013, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs allocated £1,427,059 through its Reward and Recognition Fund to 25 unique organisations or partnerships, most involving local authorities, to deliver 31 schemes that sought to reward or recognise people for adopting positive waste behaviours.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

UK Membership of EU

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether UK citizens would retain ownership rights over property elsewhere in the EU during the period prior to the completion of Article 50 negotiations relating to the Lisbon Treaty in the event of the UK voting to leave the EU.

Mr David Lidington: The procedure governing a country’s departure from the EU is set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. This provides for a period of two years for the negotiation of exit terms. EU laws would continue to apply to the departing Member State until the Article 50 agreement had entered into force, or for two years if no agreement had been reached and no extension to the two year period had been granted. A request for an extension could only be granted with the unanimous agreement of the remaining Member States.

UK Membership of EU

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether UK citizens will have the rights that currently apply to access public services in the EU in the event of the UK leaving the EU and prior to the completion of exit negotiations under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

Mr David Lidington: The procedure governing a country’s departure from the EU is set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. This provides for a period of two years for the negotiation of exit terms. EU laws would continue to apply to the departing Member State until the Article 50 agreement had entered into force, or for two years if no agreement had been reached and no extension to the two year period had been granted. A request for an extension could only be granted with the unanimous agreement of the remaining Member States.

Arms Trade

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he made his most recent assessment of UK compliance with (a) the Cluster Munitions Convention, (b) the Arms Trade Treaty and (c) the EU Consolidated Arms Export Criteria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: a) The UK provides an annual report to the Secretary-General of the UN on its compliance with the CCM. The UK submitted its last report on 29 April 2016. It completed destruction of its stockpile of cluster munitions in December 2013, more than 5 years ahead of the schedule set by the Convention.b) The UK has signed and ratified the Arms Trade Treaty and is applying its standards through implementation of robust and transparent national export controls of all conventional arms and ammunition. As part of its obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty, the UK recently submitted its first annual report (covering 2015) to the Treaty Secretariat ahead of the 31 May 2016 deadline.c) Each year the Government submits a report to Parliament on the UK’s Strategic Arms Export Controls. The most recent report, covering 2014, was published on 23 July 2015. The Government considers that it complies fully with the Consolidated Criteria.

Colombia: Paramilitary Forces

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Colombian counterpart on (a) the incidence of killings by paramilitaries, (b) the shooting of Alcides de Jesús Cotes Jurado in April 2016 and (c) steps by the Colombian government to tackle the existence and operations of paramilitaries in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire: The increased violence which has been perpetrated over the last few months by organised groups in Colombia has indeed been worrying. I am concerned about the security situation and raised this in my meeting with President Santos on 12 May. The investigation into the shooting of Alcides de Jesús Cotes Jurado is ongoing and our embassy is following it closely. Embassy officials regularly discuss the challenges posed by armed criminal groups in their meetings with the Colombian government. Following an escalation of the security situation in recent months, the Defence Minister announced a new approach to tackling the prevalence of organised armed groups in Colombia. The UK supports a peaceful Colombia, where authorities effectively tackle organised crime and promote democratic practices nationwide, to benefit all Colombians.

Kashmir: Politics and Government

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) security situation and (b) incidence of terrorism in Kashmir.

Mr Hugo Swire: We assess that there is a high threat of terrorism throughout India and Pakistan.Officials in our High Commissions in Delhi and Islamabad continuously monitor the security situation in Kashmir. I discussed this issue with the Indian Foreign Secretary and the Deputy Foreign Minister in Delhi on 30.05.16. Our Deputy High Commissioner to India visited Indian administered Kashmir from 23 to 29 May.We advise against all travel to Indian administered Kashmir with the exception of (i) travel within the cities of Jammu and Srinagar (ii) travel by air to the cities of Jammu and Srinagar, (iii) travel between these two cities on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, and (iv) travel within the region of Ladakh.We advise against travel on the Karakoram Highway in Pakistan administered Kashmir as far as Gilgit.

Kashmir: Politics and Government

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had on Kashmir with the governments of India and Pakistan in the last six months.

Mr Hugo Swire: Our Deputy High Commissioner to India visited Indian administered Kashmir from 23 to 29 May and met with representatives from the State Government of Jammu and Kashmir. Officials from our High Commission in Islamabad met with representatives from the Government of Pakistan Administered Kashmir in February. I discussed this issue with India's Foreign Secretary and Deputy Foreign Minister in Delhi on 31.05.16.

Laos: Churches

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Vietnamese counterpart on the reported arrest of two people on 14 May 2016 for distributing hymnals in Southern Laos.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised human rights concerns with the Vietnamese Foreign Minister during his recent visit to Vietnam. The EU Human Rights Dialogues held with each country also provide an opportunity to raise individual cases of concern.Our Embassies in Laos and Vietnam are investigating the case in question.

Somalia: Somaliland

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on Turkish facilitated talks between Somalia and Somaliland.

James Duddridge: The next round of Turkish facilitated talks between the Federal Government of Somalia and Somaliland were due to take place in Ankara on 31 May but we understand that they have been delayed. We hope that the talks, which are an effort to promote genuine dialogue and cooperation, will be able to continue shortly.

EU Staff: Training

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many permanent EU officials were passed through the Civil/Diplomatic Service European Fast Stream programme in each year since 2010.

Mr David Lidington: The European Fast Stream was re-established in 2010 with the dual aim of increasing UK representation in the EU institutions, as well as building EU capability in Whitehall. As part of the scheme, each European Fast Streamer spends five months or longer in an EU institution as a national expert. Since 2010 there have been four successful candidates in the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) competitions from the European Fast Stream. Of these successful candidates, one took up a post in 2014 and another is starting in summer 2016.

European External Action Service: Secondment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK diplomats have taken secondment to the European External Action Service in each year since 2010.

Mr David Lidington: Since 2010, there have been 28 UK officials seconded to the European External Action Service (EEAS). Of these, 20 were UK diplomats from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO); 8 were from other government departments. The numbers of diplomats can be broken down by calendar year in which they took up their secondment as follows:FCO number of TAs2010 52012 22013 62014 22015 5

Miguel Angel Beltran

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20987, what discussions representatives of the British Embassy have had with the Columbian government on the detention of Professor Miguel Angel Beltran; whether they have raised concerns with that government on his current state of health; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: We work closely with the Colombian Government as part of our joint efforts to improve Colombia’s human rights situation. We regularly raise human rights concerns, including the treatment and conditions of imprisoned Human Rights Defenders, with our Colombian counterparts. During Dr Beltran’s trial on 25 January, the Supreme Court of Justice transferred the complaint on the conditions of Dr Beltran’s imprisonment to the Colombian National Prisons Authority and to the Offices of the Inspector General and Ombudsman. Officials in our Embassy in Bogota will continue to monitor Dr Beltran’s case and to raise our concerns with Colombian officials.

Radicalism

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his Department's Human Rights and Democracy Report 2015, Cm 9245, what countries his Department is supporting to develop Preventing Violent Extremism action plans to tackle the root causes of extremism and prejudice; and what the support is which his Department is giving in each such case.

Mr Philip Hammond: The UK provides support to multilateral bodies and international organisations such as the UN, the Global Counter Terrorism Forum, the Hedayah Centre and the Commonwealth that work in partnership with countries developing their own national action plans against violent extremism. UK-funded programmes in fragile and conflict-affected states and our Democracy and Human Rights projects in over 40 countries, also support this global effort.

Turkey: Human Rights

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Turkish government on the effect of its policies on freedom of speech, the right to a fair trial and the rule of law.

Mr David Lidington: As a friend and ally we regularly underline the importance of freedom of expression and all fundamental freedoms as part of our broader dialogue with the Turkish government.

Kenya: Refugees

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Kenyan government on the closure of the Dadaab refugee camp.

Mr Philip Hammond: The Secretary of State for International Development, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening) discussed the announcement about the Dadaab refugee camp with Kenya at the World Humanitarian Summit on 25 May.

Human Rights Advisory Group

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times the Foreign Secretary's Advisory Group on Human Rights has met in each year since its formation; and how many of those meetings in each such year (a) he or his predecessor and (b) Minister of his Department attended.

Mr Philip Hammond: My Advisory Group on Human Rights has met 11 times since its formation in November 2010 – twice a year, with the exception of 2010, when it met only in December and 2014 when it met only in May. My predecessors or I have chaired every one of these meetings, with the exception of the most recent meeting in April 2016, when the meeting was chaired by the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Baroness of Anelay of St Johns.

Religious Freedom

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff of his Department at what grades have received training on the international human rights context for freedom of religion or belief in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr Philip Hammond: Since 2010, the FCO has run an Advanced Human Rights course which has included a module on freedom of religion or belief (FORB). Approximately 160 staff from across all grades have attended this course over this period. For the vast majority of that period we have also covered FORB on our Introduction to Human Rights Course. We estimate that around 600 staff have attended this course. Training on FORB remains a core element of human rights training under the FCO’s Diplomatic Academy. In addition, we have run a course on religion and foreign policy since 2013. 188 people have completed this course since Autumn 2015.

Libya: Islamic State

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the number of people unlawfully executed in Libya by Daesh.

Mr Philip Hammond: It is clear from reports and testimonies from local residents that Daesh have carried out many savage executions and brutal punishments in Libya against innocent civilians and those who have had the courage to oppose their vile oppression. We utterly condemn their barbaric acts of terror inside Libya, including the targeting of others because of their faith. The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has confirmed that ICC jurisdiction over Libya prima facie extends to such crimes.We are engaging with the new Libyan government and working closely with international partners to develop a comprehensive approach to defeat Daesh in Libya.

EU Staff

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK nationals were employed at Director level in the European Commission in each year since 2010.

Mr David Lidington: Director level equivalent in the European Commission is classed as officials working at Administrator grade AD14 - AD15. According to statistics published by the European Commission, the numbers of British officials working at these levels in the European Commission since 2010 are as follows:2010: 702011: 552012: 592013: 492014: 502015: 512016: 59

Afghanistan: Security

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) direct and (b) other financial support his Department provides to the Afghan Mines Protection Force and (b) local police.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides policing assistance to Afghanistan via its £70m per annum contribution to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF), which supports the payment of Afghan National Police salaries, via the Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan (LOTFA), administered by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The FCO does not fund the Afghan Local Police.The UK also deploys security advisers to the Ministry of Interior, NATO, and EUPOL, the EU’s policing mission in Afghanistan. They do not provide support to the Afghan Local Police.The Department for International Development’s separate financial support to policing is aimed at capacity-building the Ministry of Interior and developing the Afghan National Police. The Afghan Public Protection Force is not a recipient of this support.

UK Membership of EU

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department's policy is on the use by HM Ambassadors of their official Twitter accounts to promote arguments for staying in the EU ahead of the referendum on 23 June.

Mr David Lidington: The Government has published official guidance for Government departments on activities during the period 27 May to 23 June 2016, which is publicly available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/526184/eu-referendum-guidance-for-uk-government-departments-on-activities-during-the-period-27-may-to-23-june.pdf The guidance states that: “Updates to government websites or social media feeds must not deal with any issues raised by the referendum question or put any arguments for or against any outcome, or be designed to encourage voting at the referendum. Civil servants may respond to specific online queries by providing links to published material. Material that has already been published before 27 May will be regarded as part of the public record and does not need to be removed from websites and social media sites, although links to these sites should be removed.”

EU Staff

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage UK nationals to take up junior and entry-level positions in the European Commission.

Mr David Lidington: UK representation has been falling across EU institutions as UK officials retire and are not replaced by the same number of new UK entrants. The Government is committed to reversing this picture, recognising that this will require a sustained effort. The EU Staffing Unit, established in April 2013, promotes EU careers across the UK and supports candidates through the application process. It has increased secondments in positions of strategic importance to the UK. The European Fast Stream within the Civil Service has also been re-launched.

EU Staff

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on how many UK nationals (a) entered the EU Concours examination and (b) passed that examination in each year since 2010.

Mr David Lidington: We do not hold complete information on the number of applicants and successes across all competitions. We are aware of 7,761 UK applicants across all competitions, of whom 188 were successful, since the new EU recruitment process launched in 2010.

Turkey: Politics and Government

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the government of Turkey on that government's proposal to remove parliamentary immunity from opposition members of parliament.

Mr David Lidington: The lifting of parliamentary immunity is a matter for the Turkish parliament. As a modern democracy and candidate for EU accession, we would expect Turkey to undertake any subsequent legal processes transparently and to fully respect the rule of law.

Turkey: Armed Conflict

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to recommendation 8 of the report of the Foreign Affairs Committee, The UK's role in the war against ISIL following the cessation of hostilities in Syria in February 2016, published on 24 March 2016, what representations he has made to his Turkish counterpart on seeking a negotiated, peaceful and democratic solution to the conflict in predominantly Kurdish areas of Turkey.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The ongoing violence in the predominantly Kurdish areas of south-east Turkey is extremely concerning. We believe Turkey has a legitimate right to defend itself against the PKK, whose attacks we condemn as we condemn all terrorism. Our thoughts are with the victims of these attacks, and the civilians who have been caught up in the violence. As in any conflict, civilian casualties should be avoided and human rights need to be fully protected. PKK violence must end and the peace process be resumed. We stand ready to help in any way we can. The Foreign Secretary and Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Turkey have emphasised to the Turkish government the need to respect human rights, avoid civilian casualties and return to the peace process.

Islamic State: Genocide

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department records acts of alleged genocide by Daesh reported by refugees who are provided with humanitarian aid by his Department to support future criminal investigations.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have not received such allegations from refugees. However, the UK is supporting evidence gathering by a range of state and non state actors for potential prosecutions. In Syria, the UK is funding the work of non-governmental organisations who are gathering evidence of Human Rights violations, including by Daesh and the Asad regime. In Iraq, we are supporting the victims of sexual violence and considering how we might best complement other evidence gathering efforts already underway. Working with international partners, we are doing everything we can to assist in the gathering and preservation of evidence that could in future be used by judicial bodies to make a judgement on this matter.

European Court of Justice: Staff

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK nationals has been on the staff of the European Court of Justice in each year since 2010.

Mr David Lidington: The European Court of Justice (ECJ) does not publish figures relating to the nationality of its staff. According to our own internal records, there were 67 UK nationals on the staff of the ECJ in 2013. We do not hold records for the other years.

European Court of Auditors: Staff

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK nationals have been on the staff of the European Court of Auditors in each year since 2010.

Mr David Lidington: The European Court of Auditors (ECA) does not publish figures relating to its staff numbers and nationality. According to our own internal records, the following number of UK nationals have been on the staff of the ECA since 2010:2010: 512011: 502012: No records held2013: 502014: 502015: 492016: 50

EU Staff

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK nationals have been on the staff of (a) each of the Directorates-General and (b) other services of the European Commission in each year since 2010.

Mr David Lidington: The European Commission publishes data on its permanent EU officials (excluding seconded national experts) broken down by nationality and by each of its Directorates-General and services at the following link: http://ec.europa.eu/civil_service/about/figures/index_en.htm

EU Staff

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage more UK nationals to take up traineeships in the European Parliament and European Commission.

Mr David Lidington: The EU staffing unit, established in April 2013, promotes EU careers across the UK and supports candidates through the application process. It has increased secondments in positions of strategic importance to the UK. The European Fast Stream within the Civil Service has also been re-launched.

Iran: Baha'i Faith

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on allegations of torture and threats of physical and sexual violence against Baha'is sentenced to prison terms in Golestan province, Iran.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We consistently raise our concerns about the treatment of the Baha’i community in Iran with the Iranian Government. We call on Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to allow freedom of religion to all Iranians.

Turkey: Human Rights

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on alleged serious abuses of human rights by Turkish security forces in Cizre.

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the statement of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ráad al Hussein, of 10 May 2016, what his policy is on the government of Turkey conducting prompt and independent investigations into alleged violations of human rights by Turkish security forces, alleged extra-judicial killings and disproportionate use of force.

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the statement of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ráad al Hussein, of 10 May 2016, what his policy is on the government of Turkey giving independent investigators, including UN staff, unimpeded access to South East Turkey to investigate alleged violations of human rights.

Mr Philip Hammond: We are aware of several public reports regarding alleged events in Cizre. We agree with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ráad al Hussein that it is essential that authorities respect human rights at all times while undertaking security or counter-terrorism operations.We believe Turkey has a legitimate right to defend itself against the PKK, a terrorist organisation which has killed hundreds of innocent people in the past year. A PKK offshoot - the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, or TAK - has also claimed responsibility for a number of recent attacks, including an indiscriminate suicide car bombing in central Ankara on 13 March that killed over 30 people. Our thoughts are with the victims of PKK attacks, and the civilians who have been caught up in the recent conflict.Our Ambassador to Turkey and I have discussed with the Turkish government the importance of respecting human rights and avoiding civilian casualties in the fight against terrorism. We believe the first responsibility for investigating any alleged violations falls to Turkey. And that the PKK needs to cease violence in order to create the conditions for political resolution of the difficulties in the south east.

Libya: Human Rights

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the finding of the report from Human Rights Watch entitled, We Feel We Are Cursed: Life under ISIS in Sirte, Libya, published on 18 May 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I am deeply concerned by this report of the horrors and misery endured by ordinary Libyan civilians living under Daesh. I condemn their barbaric and appalling crimes in Sirte and elsewhere in Libya. It is vital that those responsible are held accountable. Political instability and conflict in Libya, after 40 years of Gaddafi misrule, created the conditions for Daesh to become established. Only an inclusive government will deliver the peace and stability that the Libyan people desire and deny the space for Daesh and other extremist groups to operate.Our consistent policy has been to support a lasting and inclusive political agreement and the establishment of a Government of National Accord (GNA) as the best way to tackle the threat in the long term. Following the Libyan Political Agreement, signed in December 2015, we now have a GNA, and the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) visited Tripoli on 18 April to discuss how we could help the GNA bolster security and tackle Daesh. We have allocated £10 million in this financial year to help restore stability in Libya; rebuild the economy; fight Daesh; and tackle the criminal gangs that fuel illegal migration.

Iran: Baha'i Faith

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on allegations that Baha'i people sentenced to prison terms in Golestan province were tortured, forced to sign confessions and denied access to legal representation.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have made no specific representations on behalf of the group mentioned. However, we consistently raise our concerns about the treatment of the Baha’i community in Iran with the Iranian Government. We call on Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to allow freedom of religion to all Iranians.

Attorney General

Hate Crime

Karl Turner: To ask the Attorney General, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been for each category of hate crime since 2010.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of prosecutions flagged as hate crimes. Hate crimes comprise offences motivated by hostility or prejudice to a person’s race or perceived race, religion or perceived religion, sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation, disability or perceived disability and transgender identity or perceived transgender identity. These data are accurate only to the extent that the flag has been correctly applied. The tables below show the number and proportion of convictions and overall prosecutions, by each category of hate crime, during each of the last five available years: TOTAL HATE CRIME PROSECUTIONS Convictions  Total2010-11 12,65182.8%15,2842011-1211,84383.4%14,1962012-1310,79482.6%13,0702013-1411,91584.7%14,0742014-1512,22082.9%14,738 RACIAL HATE CRIME PROSECUTIONS Convictions  Total 2010-11 10,56683.1% 12,7112011-129,93384.4%11,7742012-139,10783.3%10,9352013-1410,06985.2%11,8182014-1510,12383.5%12,130  RELIGIOUS HATE CRIME PROSECUTIONS Convictions  Total2010-11 47283.4%5662011-1247980.8%5932012-1330877.2%3992013-1446384.2%5502014-1555783.8%665 HOMOPHOBIC & TRANSPHOBIC HATE CRIME PROSECUTIONS (1) Convictions Total 2010-11 1,03480.7%1,2812011-1295178.7%1,2082012-1388580.7%1,0962013-1491380.7%1,1322014-151,03781.2%1,277(1) A separate flag for Transphobic crime was introduced in December 2012 following the amendment to the Criminal Justice Act 2003. DISABILITY HATE CRIME PROSECUTIONS Convictions Total2010-11 57979.8%7262011-1248077.3%6212012-1349477.2%6402013-1447081.9%5742014-1550375.5%666Data Source: CPS Management Information System

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Iron and Steel: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether (a) he and (b) ministers of his Department have met with the new Welsh Government to discuss the steel crisis.

Anna Soubry: My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills spoke with the First Minister about the steel crisis following his re-appointment on 18 May. He also wrote to the new Minister for Economy and Infrastructure on 23 May congratulating him on his appointment and extending a joint request from both myself and the Secretary of State for an early discussion on the situation in the South Wales steel industry.

British Irish Council

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many meetings of the British-Irish Council Ministers of his Department took part in since May 2013.

Joseph Johnson: Information on Ministerial attendances can be found on the British-Irish Council website: https://www.britishirishcouncil.org/communique/ministerial-meetings

New Businesses: Manchester Withington

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many new businesses have been set up in Manchester, Withington constituency since May 2010.

Anna Soubry: There is no single data source that comprehensively measures all business start-ups within the UK. However, ONS has published statistics showing that there were 2,210 businesses newly registered for VAT or PAYE in the Manchester, Withington constituency between 2010 and 2014. Some newly registered businesses will have been trading for a number of years and other active businesses will not be covered because they are operating below the VAT and PAYE registration thresholds.

Higher Education

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the value of the higher education sector to the economy.

Joseph Johnson: Higher education is an important source of productivity growth. It equips individuals with the skills and abilities they need to succeed in the workforce, and helps drive innovation by strengthening the economy’s knowledge base, as well as enriching our cultural and intellectual life. The BIS research paper The relationship between graduates and economic growth across countries (2013) provides an estimate of the sector’s contribution, and is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/229492/bis-13-858-relationship-between-graduates-and-economic-growth-across-countries.pdf

Overseas Students

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department has had with the Home Office on the effect of existing legislation on overseas students on steps to increase the number of international students studying in the UK.

Joseph Johnson: Officials in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills meet with Home Office officials and representatives from the education sector on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues related to international students studying in the UK. The Government is fully committed to controlling migration and supporting the global competiveness of our higher education system. We are delivering this through promoting our universities as places where the brightest and the best of the world’s talent should come to study, whilst tackling immigration abuse where it exists in our education system. There remains no cap on the number of genuine international students who can come to study in the UK.

Higher Education

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the proposals in his Department's White Paper, Success as a knowledge economy: teaching excellence, social mobility and student choice, published on 16 May 2016, on the number of new providers in the higher education sector by 2020.

Joseph Johnson: The Higher Education and Research Bill Impact Assessment, published alongside the Bill, details the Government’s assessment of the expected number of HE providers following the reforms. The full forecast is provided in Annex A of the document, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-and-research-bill-impact-assessment .

Business: Scotland

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans his Department has to promote Scottish exports and businesses at the International Festival for Business 2016.

Anna Soubry: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), as key government partner in the International Festival for Business 2016 (IFB2016), welcomes business delegates from all parts of the UK and internationally. UKTI has been working with the Festival organisers to engage Scottish stakeholders. This has included a series of round-table meetings in Glasgow and Edinburgh over recent months with Scottish Enterprise/Scottish Development International (SDI), Glasgow City Council and the Scotland Office to encouraging recruitment of local business delegations. UKTI invited a range of projects to be part of their IFB2016 opening day High-Value Investment Showcase, including Clyde Gateway and Dundee Waterfront. Dundee was unable to take part. The £2.7bn Clyde Gateway will be represented, focusing on the Shawfield National Business District, a significant commercial regeneration opportunity. Other Scottish companies involved in the UKTI showcases during the Festival include FMC Health & Nutrition/FMC Biopolymer and M Squared Lasers; and Pufferfish Limited, who are providing an advanced interactive display. UKTI is holding a series of sector-based events at the Festival and examples of Scottish involvement include Grangemouth being promoted alongside the three main English chemicals clusters at the UKTI ‘Catalysing Success for UK Chemicals’ event and the Deputy Provost of Aberdeen taking part in the ‘Connecting the UK’s Oil & Gas Expertise to the World’ event, which SDI are promoting on UKTI’s behalf in Scotland. SDI has been offered the opportunity to lead a round-table discussion at the 23 June ‘Innovation To Industrialisation: How UK Renewables Can Deliver Global Carbon Reduction’ event. Scottish Enterprise will be represented at ‘Going for Export Gold: Opportunities in Major Sports Events’ on 30 June and again are promoting the event in Scotland on UKTI’s behalf. Speakers at the Blooloop experience-economy event on 29 June include a number of companies with important Scottish operations: John O’Groats-based Heritage GB; Merlin Entertainments who operate Edinburgh Dungeon; SEALIFE Loch Lomond and Scottish SEALIFE Sanctuary; Continuum Attractions, operators of the Real Mary King's Close and the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh; and Tick Tock Unlock. Glasgow Airport will be part of the transport panel at the 21-22 June UK Property Forums event. Any further Scottish businesses wishing to join IFB2016 can find out more at www.ifb2016.com and www.events.ukti.gov.uk/ukti-at-ifb-2016. Registration is free.

Members: Correspondence

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he will reply to the letter of 18 April 2016 on the closure of a Crown Post Office in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency; and if he will meet with the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green to discuss that matter.

George Freeman: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Degrees

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of employer-sponsored degrees in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2020-21

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Apprentices: Degrees

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the numerical contribution that degree apprenticeships will make towards the target to create 3 million apprenticeships by 2020.

Nick Boles: The Department does not currently publish forecasts for Apprenticeship starts by level. Information on the actual number of Apprenticeship starts reported to date, by individual level, is published as a supplementary table (first link) to a Statistical First Release (second link). https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/509999/apprenticeships-starts-by-framework-type-and-level.xls https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many visits (a) by Ministers and (b) officials from his Department were made to Coventry in each of the last five years.

Joseph Johnson: This information can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the number and value of arms export licences issued to Saudi Arabia since 19 March 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Further Education: Higher Education

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to his Department's White Paper, Success as a knowledge economy: teaching excellence, social mobility and student choice, published in May 2016, what discussions he has had with further education colleges and providers on the future role of further education in delivering higher education; and what assessment he has made of the security of employment and the forms of contract likely to be offered to staff by new alternative providers.

Joseph Johnson: The measures that are set out in the White Paper were subject to consultation following the Green Paper published in November 2015. All higher education providers in England including alternative providers and further education Colleges were able to provide a response as part of that process. A summary of the consultation responses can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/523420/bis-16-261-he-green-paper-fulfilling-our-potential-summary-of-responses.pdf The measures announced in the White Paper include establishing the Office for Students, which will have clear and consistent powers to regulate all types of provider. Terms and contracts of employment between alternative providers and their staff are a matter for individual providers.

Higher Education: Standards

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to paragraph 119 of the Teaching excellence framework: technical consultation for year two, published by his Department on 16 May 2016, how the estimates for the performance metrics were reached; whether there is scope for making adjustments to those estimates in the future; whether those estimates will be used as part of formal guidance for the operation of the teaching excellence framework; and if he will publish the methodological framework and evidence for how those estimates were reached.

Joseph Johnson: In developing our proposals for the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) we used a set of indicative metrics, with data constructed using the methods set out in Chapter 2 of the TEF: Technical Consultation for Year Two. The statement that providers will fall into a bell curve was based on observing the number of providers with positive and negative significance flags against the core metrics. The actual TEF assessments will be made against the most recent data which we anticipate will follow a broadly similar pattern. As stated in the Technical Consultation, we expect the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to construct the guidance to assessors in such a way that will lead to a distribution similar to that set out in paragraph 119; however, assessors will not be obligated to check that the awards follow this distribution, only that they have followed the guidance. Our consultation response will outline the final metrics and HEFCE guidance will set out the detailed methodology of how the metrics are constructed.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effects on recipients of disabled students allowances of transferring responsibility for funding support from Government to universities.

Joseph Johnson: The Government carried out an Equality Analysis as part of the recent consultation on reforms to Disabled Students’ Allowances. This is available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/481527/bis-15-658-disabled-students-allowances-equality-analysis.pdf

Domestic Appliances: Fires

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department uses government fire statistics to assess the effect of faulty electrical goods on the number of fires.

Anna Soubry: My Department uses Government fire statistics on the number of fires in faulty electrical products, as part of the evidence to inform policy on the safety of electrical products.

Counterfeit Manufacturing: Domestic Appliances

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the dangers of purchasing counterfeit electrical goods.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Counterfeit Manufacturing: Domestic Appliances

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what meetings he has had with (a) Amazon, (b) eBay and (c) other online retailers on the prevention of the sale of counterfeit electrical goods in the UK.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Students: Loans

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the average effect on graduates (a) student loan repayments and (b) student loan balance of the changes to the loan repayment threshold announced in the 2015 Autumn Statement.

Joseph Johnson: The Department published an Equality Analysis in November 2015. Examples showing the impact for different levels of income can be found in Table 4, page 35 of this document: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/479559/bis-15-635-freezing-student-loan-repayment-threshold-equality-analysis.pdf

Age: Discrimination

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the evidence by the Federation of Small Businesses to the National Minimum Wage Low Pay Commission Report Spring 2016, page 244, on age discrimination in recruitment.

Nick Boles: There have been age-related rates in the minimum wage structure since its introduction in 1999. Setting different minimum wage rates according to the age of the worker helps to protect the employment prospects of younger workers. The provisions in the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 mean that employers are able to pay different rates to workers of different ages in line with the NMW Regulations 2015. The Equality Act 2010 has a specific exemption which ensures that employers are not vulnerable to age discrimination claims where they have paid their workers the NMW age-related rates. Leaving aside the NMW rates, any decisions on pay more generally, employment or other terms and conditions taken on the basis of age will need to be objectively justified by the employer.

Students: Loans

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress his Department has made on plans to sell off student loans; and what recent estimate he has made of the amount of revenue expected to be raised by that sell off.

Joseph Johnson: As stated in the March 2016 Budget, the Government is continuing to prepare for the sale of the pre-2012 income contingent repayment (ICR) student loan book, with a first sale expected in 2016-17. The March 2016 Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) Forecast estimated £2.4bn of sale proceeds in 2016-17 - this is an average based on Government’s central estimate of £12bn proceeds from a series of sales over a 5-year period up until 2020-21. A sale would not impact borrowers. Government would still finance student loans and continue to collect repayments through Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Student Loans Company (SLC). Purchasers would have no direct relationship with borrowers, and would have no power to amend the terms of repayment.

Students: Loans

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what interest has accrued on student loans taken out in each year since 2006.

Joseph Johnson: The Student Loans Company (SLC) administers student loans for each of the UK Government Administrations. Information on the interest added to Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) loans in England is available by financial year in Table 1 of SLC’s Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘Student Loans in England’. The most recent version of the publication, covering the financial years 2012-13 to 2014-15 is available here:http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment/england.aspx. Earlier editions are available here:http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/full-catalogue-of-official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment.aspx Information for individual entry cohorts could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

New Businesses: Stafford

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many new companies were started in Stafford constituency in each of the last two years.

Anna Soubry: Companies House estimates that, in the Stafford parliamentary constituency area, the number of new companies started is as follows:2014-15: 1,6492015-16: 1,701These figures are estimates because Companies House’s data is drawn from postcode areas and these can cross constituency boundaries.

Companies: Ownership

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, on what date in June 2016 the UK's public central register of company beneficial ownership will be launched.

Anna Soubry: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Productivity

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how his Department assesses differences in productivity levels between workers aged under and over 25.

Anna Soubry: There are no official statistics estimating the productivity of workers by their age. Labour productivity as provided by the Office for National Statistics is only separately estimated by sector.

Productivity

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what comparative assessment he has made of productivity levels of workers aged under and over 25 in the (a) hospitality and (b) retail sectors; and what account is taken of such productivity data in determining the level of the National Minimum Wage.

Nick Boles: While labour productivity statistics are estimated by sector, there are no official statistics estimating the productivity of workers by their age. The Low Pay Commission (LPC) recommends National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates to Government based on detailed consideration of the evidence on the economy (including productivity statistics), labour market and pay, as well as wide ranging consultation evidence. Earlier this year the Government accepted all of the LPC’s recommendations for the NMW rates that should come in to force in October this year for workers aged under 25.

Bankruptcy

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what information his Department holds on the number of businesses which were bankrupted as a result of late payment of invoices.

Anna Soubry: The Department does not hold information on the number of businesses which were bankrupted as a result of late payment of invoice. We recognise that late payment is an issue and know that 61% of businesses that give credit consider late payment a problem.[1] We are implementing a package of measures to support a cultural change toward prompt payment, including the Small Business Commissioner, the duty for large businesses to report on payment practices and support for the voluntary Prompt Payment Code. [1] BIS RESEARCH PAPER NUMBER 289, Longitudinal Small Business Survey Year 1 (2015): SME employers, May 2016

Students: Loans

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken to inform students with existing student loans of the (a) changes announced to the loan repayment threshold in the 2015 Autumn Statement and (b) effect of those changes on their student loan balance and repayments.

Joseph Johnson: The Government announced the decision to freeze the repayment threshold as part of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement on 25th November 2015. The Government response to the consultation and the equality analysis can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/freezing-the-student-loan-repayment-threshold

Employment: Young People

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the TUC's oral evidence to the National Minimum Wage Low Pay Commission Report Spring 2016, page 242, on the rate of labour market improvement for those aged between 21 and 24.

Nick Boles: Setting different minimum wage rates according to the age of the worker helps to protect the employment prospects of younger workers. While this has improved recently, those aged 21 to 24 have a marked difference in labour market dynamics when compared to older workers. This is evident through differences in their median earnings, employment rates and unemployment rates. The Low Pay Commission (LPC) recommends National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates to Government based on detailed consideration of the evidence on the economy, labour market and pay, as well as wide ranging consultation evidence. Earlier this year the Government accepted all of the LPC’s recommendations for NMW rates for workers aged under 25; this means the 21-24 year old NMW rate will increase by 25p (3.7 per cent) to £6.95 per hour in October. This is the largest single increase in the main rate of the NMW since 2008 in cash terms.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of a UK withdrawal from the EU on the British automotive industry.

Anna Soubry: An assessment of the impact of a UK withdrawal from the EU on the British automotive industry is contained on pages 29 and 30 of the HM Treasury analysis: the immediate impact of leaving the EU. The document can be accessed from the gov.uk website link below or from the Libraries of the House. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/524967/hm_treasury_analysis_the_immediate_economic_impact_of_leaving_the_eu_web.pdf

Students: Loans

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the quality of information provided to potential students before they apply for a student loan; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: The Student Loans Company provides guidance material to help prospective students understand what financial support they may be eligible for, the interest rates and repayment terms. Information is available on the SLC website and through a range of other sources. All students taking out a loan must sign a declaration confirming they have read and understood the terms and conditions of the loan, before their loan is paid. The student’s guide to their terms and conditions clearly sets out, amongst other things, (a) the interest rates that the student will be charged, (b) when they will start repaying and (c) when interest starts accruing.

Health Professions: Training

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of nursing, midwifery and allied healthcare graduates who are expected to pay off their student loan in full.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Development

Zika Virus: South America

Richard  Arkless: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions the Government has had with (a) the World Health Organisation and (b) other stakeholders on the response to the spread of the Zika virus in South America.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Department for International Development is working with the Department for Heath, who are leading the UK government’s response to Zika, and Public Health England and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. This includes supporting the World Health Organisation in galvanising an effective international response.We are not only concerned exclusively by the spread of Zika in the Americas but are equally concerned by the possible spread to other parts of the world - in the Caribbean, Africa and Asia where countries have less capacity to cope with such a disease.The UK is supporting and commissioning research to better understand the Zika virus, its epidemiology and impacts, with particular focus on the risk to developing countries, and research into interventions to address this virus. This includes:DFID and Wellcome providing funding to commission Zika research on specific topics including understanding the spread of the disease and variation between Zika strains, the effectiveness of new and existing approaches to vector control.A general call for research proposals jointly issued by the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, and the Newton Fund for rapid turnaround projects. These studies will include disease surveillance, epidemiology, Zika transmission, research into Zika virus and clinical outcomes.The Department of Health’s UK Vaccine Network funding the University of Glasgow to develop a Zika vaccine.DFID is in the process of allocating more resources to the WHO for disease control preparedness, including Zika and Yellow Fever, including £4 m for Africa, £1.3 m for the Caribbean and £4 m for the rest of the world. DH and DFID officials along with representatives from key agencies – European Commission Humanitarian Aid & Civil Protection (ECHO), Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), Inst Pasteur, EU Research Brussels, Paul Allen Foundation, as well as Canada, Japan, France and Australia - participated in a WHO/Donor Teleconference on 20 April to further coordinate response to Zika.

Somaliland: Overseas Aid

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much official development assistance the Government has dispersed  to Somaliland (a) bilaterally (b) through the EU and (c) through UN institutions in each of the last six years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government does not compile formal aid expenditure statistics broken down at sub-national level. Information on UK Government bilateral spend in Somalia, which includes spend in Somaliland, is shown in the table attached for calendar years 2009 to 2014. Data for 2015 will be available in Statistics on International Development due out in the autumn of 2016.



UK spend in Somalia 2009-2014
(Word Document, 21.81 KB)

Eritrea: Refugees

Mrs Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding her Department has provided to (a) the UNHCR and (b) other organisations to support Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia in each of the last three years.

Mr Nick Hurd: Over the past three financial years DFID has disbursed £16,999,196 to UNHCR in Ethiopia (of which £7,010,225 was in 2013/14, £9,896,334 in 2014/15 and £91,637 in 2015/16).From this total, £1,108,571 was allocated for child protection services for Eritrean refugees (£368,068 in 2013/14 and £740,503 in 2014/15).A further £1,846,027 from this total was allocated over the three years in question for core relief items (basic household goods) for all refugees in Ethiopia, including Eritreans.Funding for Eritrean refugees was not provided directly to any other organisation in Ethiopia.

Kenya: Refugees

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the closure of the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya on refugees in that region; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government recognises the scale of the burden and challenge facing Kenya in terms of the number of refugees hosted there. We also recognise that progress under the Tripartite Agreement between the government of Kenya and the international community must urgently speed up, and that more needs to be done to ensure a safe and dignified refugee return. We are concerned over any destabilising action and actions must be consistent with international law. We have confirmed the readiness of the UK to work with the Government of Kenya and other key parties to find a solution.

Humanitarian Aid: Unmanned Air Vehicles

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department is carrying out trials to assess the suitability of unmanned aerial vehicle technology as part of the UK's humanitarian disaster response capability.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the potential use and effectiveness of unmanned aerial vehicle technology in supporting the UK's international development agenda.

Mr Nick Hurd: It is in the interest of the UK taxpayer, as well as beneficiaries on the ground, ‎that the Department for International Development scrutinises the most cost-effective means of delivering aid, especially when responding to crises. In some cases technology can provide valuable advantages in terms of efficiency and cost effectiveness, as well as enabling the ability to respond rapidly to crises and assist those in the hardest to reach places. The Department has recently commissioned a review of the potential of a number of Frontier Technologies including Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology, which will help us identify potential applications as well as risks. There are a small number of examples of UAV technologies currently being trialled in DFID programmes. This includes a small-scale trial of UAV mapping to inform disaster preparedness, mitigation and response efforts in Nepal. There is also research being conducted in the natural and physical sciences arena, including on climate extremes which have an impact on vulnerable populations in developing countries.

Developing Countries: Equality

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the outcomes of the World Humanitarian Summit on gender equality; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The World Humanitarian Summit made real gains for gender equality in humanitarian responses. This was a priority of the UK at the Summit and our call to put gender equality at the heart of 21st century humanitarian action was loudly echoed by many. There was strong agreement on the need to go beyond protection and make sure girls and women have a voice, choice, and control, even when crises hit. New Member States joined the Call to Action on Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies (launched by UK in 2013) and commitments were made to ensure the right to sexual and reproductive health care is fulfilled for all women and adolescent girls in crisis settings. My colleague, the Secretary of State for International Development, has already given her impressions of the Summit in a Written Ministerial Statement to the House.

Department for Education

Academies: North of England

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many of the academy trusts approved to receive the Northern fund for academy sponsors were operating schools that had (a) received a requires improvement rating, (b) received an inadequate rating and (c) had been placed in special measures by Ofsted.

Edward Timpson: The Northern Fund was announced by the Chancellor in the 2014 Autumn Statement, to boost academy sponsorship in the North of England as a means of turning around standards in some of the most educationally deprived parts of the country. The first competition was run in June and July 2015, with awards being announced in November 2015. Two further competitions were run in January and February 2016. A total of 65 academy sponsors received an award under the Northern Fund. At that time, the number of sponsors operating schools in these categories breaks down as follows:22 sponsors were operating schools that had received a requires improvement rating.Seven sponsors were operating schools that had received an inadequate rating; and, of these seven sponsors, five were operating schools that had been placed in Special Measures, which is a subset of the inadequate category. By definition, approved academy sponsors are working with groups of schools, some of which have the most deeply ingrained challenges. Sponsors will often have a mixed portfolio of schools at different stages of both absolute performance and improvement. The Northern Fund is designed to help selected sponsors develop additional capacity in geographical locations of need. Ministers and Regional Schools Commissioners are confident that recipients of the Northern Fund will be able to benefit schools that need their help.

Teachers: Pay

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to the School Teachers' Review Body report on teachers' pay from September 2016; and when she plans to publish the draft 2016 School Teachers' Pay and Conditions document for consultation and information.

Nick Gibb: We are currently considering the School Teachers’ Review Body’s report, its publication and the publication of the draft School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document.

Armed Forces: GCSE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether armed forces trainees are included in the policy of ensuring that by 2020 young people who do not achieve A* to C passes in English and mathematics GCSEs at age 16 resit their exams a year later.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Academies: Finance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the total amount awarded to schools in pre-opening support grants in each month of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: The department has spent £133.4m to support schools to become academies over the past three full financial years. Further details are in the table below: MonthFinancial Year & Costs (£)2013-142014-152015-16April1,221,939153,06510,904May6,300,4324,083,1043,010,208June4,703,4884,445,7312,087,380July6,329,6554,990,7183,100,097August6,160,2672,690,886862,715September3,784,8622,592,1071,863,345October3,909,3555,109,8991,628,238November4,912,4034,276,8251,435,300December3,181,6803,784,7431,178,376January2,630,4322,018,3191,920,109February4,890,4032,054,9903,119,471March10,684,63212,137,0426,170,504Year Total58,709,54848,337,42926,386,647

Teachers: Training

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of unfilled trainee teacher places in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The information requested can be found in Table 1b of the Main tables, Initial teacher training: trainee number census - 2015 to 2016, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/initial-teacher-training-trainee-number-census-2015-to-2016

Children: Carers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2016 to Question 37692, if she will estimate the number of young carers in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: The Department does not hold the information requested.According to figures from the national census and published by the Office for National Statistics, there were around 166,000 young carers in England in 2011.

Teachers: Training

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the degree to which trainee teacher recruitment has met her Department's targets in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The information is available in Table 1b of the Main tables:SFR46/2015 spreadsheet found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/initial-teacher-training-trainee-number-census-2015-to-2016 Column D of this table shows the total percentage contribution of new entrants to the yearly trainee teacher recruitment target for the last six years.

Mandarin Language: Teachers

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Mandarin language teachers are working in schools; and how many people are training to teach the Mandarin language.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is not collected by the Department. Whilst we know from the annual School Workforce Census how many teachers are teaching Other Modern Foreign Languages in secondary schools, we cannot identify how many are teaching Mandarin. Following the Chancellor’s announcement last September of a £10 million fund for Mandarin teaching in English schools, the Department is starting a Mandarin Excellence Programme in September 2016 with the aim of teaching Mandarin Chinese to a high level to at least 5,000 pupils by 2020. This programme will ensure that there is a sufficient number of teachers for these pupils.

Academies: Standards

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academy schools which have been given an inadequate Ofsted rating in each year since 2010 have not been re-brokered to another academy sponsor.

Edward Timpson: The number of academies which have been graded inadequate by Ofsted and have not re-brokered to another academy sponsor in each year since 2010 is shown in the table below.Academic yearNumber of academies in category 4Number of academies not re-brokered to another academy sponsor2010/11542011/1227212012/1345282013/1494612014/159269September–December 2015*1410*Data for 2016 is not available The Education and Adoption Act 2016 gives the Secretary of State consistent powers to terminate funding agreements where an academy is rated inadequate by Ofsted or has fallen within the definition of coasting. Regional Schools Commissioners can use these powers to move an academy to a new sponsor where they think this is necessary.

Teachers: Training

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) mathematics and (b) physics teachers completed teacher training through each available teacher training route in 2015-16.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is available in Table 1a of the Main tables: SFR46/2015 found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/initial-teacher-training-trainee-number-census-2015-to-2016This table shows the number of postgraduates recruited to Initial Teacher Training in the academic year 2015/16 by route and subject, including mathematics and physics.

Free Schools

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many free schools projects have been cancelled at any stage in each year since 2011.

Edward Timpson: A list of free school projects that were cancelled or withdrawn between 2011 and 2015, and that have final confirmed expenditure, is published on GOV.UK at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/523706/Free_Schools_Data_for_Publication.xlsx.

Department for Education: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many visits (a) by Ministers and (b) officials from her Department were made to Coventry in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The table below shows the total number of visits made by Department for Education ministers to Coventry for each of the last five years.YearTotal Number of Visits by Ministers2011-201232012-201332013-201412014-201512015-20163 We do not hold data centrally on the number of visits made by civil servants to particular locations. This could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Free Schools

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many free schools have opened in areas where there are surplus places in the age range covered by the school in each year since 2010.

Edward Timpson: Every free school has been approved for opening in response to either the need to provide extra school places for the future, the need to provide parents with greater choice or the need to provide more high quality places. Of the open mainstream free schools reported in School Capacity data in May 2015, all of which were approved prior to January 2014, seven in ten were approved in areas where there was a basic need for additional school places.85% of mainstream free schools approved since January 2014 – the majority of which have not yet opened - are in areas where School Capacity data showed there was a basic need for additional school places. The remaining 15% were approved on the basis of more recent local authority intelligence of future need for places; in areas where there was a need for additional high quality places or to create additional choice or diversity.

Academies: North of England

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2016 to Question 37442, what the (a) budget and (b) spend was for the three Northern Fund competitions for academy sponsors.

Edward Timpson: The Chancellor announced the £10m Northern Fund budget, for 2015-16, in his 2014 Autumn Statement. A total of £9,457,033.00 was spent on the three Northern Fund competitions. These are broken down as follows:Competition 1: £4,717,464.00Competition 2: £2,189,229.00Competition 3: £2,550,340.00

University Technical Colleges

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the role of University Technical Colleges in the Skills Plan which is proposed for inclusion in the forthcoming Bill on education for all.

Nick Boles: The Government is taking forward reforms to the skills system to ensure we have the technical skills that the economy needs. We will publish details of our plans in due course.

Skilled Workers: Recruitment

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what consultations she has had with trades unions and staff representative organisations on the future of technical and professional recruitment planned for inclusion in the proposed Skills Plan.

Nick Boles: The Government is taking forward reforms to the skills system to ensure we have the technical skills that the economy needs. We will publish details of our plans for further reform of the skills system in due course and will engage with stakeholders from across the sector on these plans.

Schools: Admissions

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the timetable is for the publication of the consultation on changes to the School Admissions Code.

Nick Gibb: We have announced our intention to make changes to the School Admissions Code to better support parents and schools. We are currently considering whether any additional changes to the admissions system are necessary. Full details of proposed changes and of the consultation, including timings, will be announced in due course.

Ministry of Justice

Civil Servants

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he expects his Department's Propriety and Ethics team's investigation into the activity of civil servants to report.

Mike Penning: As I said to the House on 14 March, the rules around former civil servants taking up employment in the private sector are made very clear when they leave the Department. Under no circumstance should they exploit privileged access to government contracts or sensitive information which could be used to influence the outcome of commercial competitions. The investigation has now reported and found that it was unlikely any intellectual property belonging to, or confidential information relating to, the MoJ or NOMS was compromised as a result of former staff gaining employment with TDPi. Nevertheless, we have strengthened internal procedures and increased awareness of the Business Appointment Rules within the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) so as to make departing civil servants and their new employers aware of their obligations under the Rules. My officials have written to TDPi reminding them of their obligations under the Civil Service Code. Over the last six months, we have improved our commercial capability, more than doubling the senior commercial experts monitoring work with the private sector. The investigation found no evidence of improper culture or general lack of professionalism in relation to how NOMS staff interact with suppliers or contractors.

Ministry of Justice: Hotels

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost of hotel bookings made for (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning: Details of Ministerial overseas travel, and senior officials business expenses are published on a quarterly basis (link below). The remaining information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/moj-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings

Prisons: Safety

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his letter to the Chair of the Justice Committee, dated 19 May 2016, how much of the additional £10 million to deal with prison safety has been allocated to each prison.

Andrew Selous: To achieve the greatest improvement in prison safety we are targeting prisons with the greatest need - those with the highest levels of violence, self-inflicted deaths and self-harm. Analysis is currently underway to determine allocations.

Prisoners: Females

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of women in prison.

Caroline Dinenage: As the Prime Minister has made clear, this government is committed to improving the treatment of female offenders. We are looking into options including tagging, problem solving courts and alternative resettlement units to improve our care for female offenders. This is particularly important if they are pregnant or have young children. We are working with local areas to encourage a more effective joined-up multi-agency approach to address the often complex needs of female offenders. We have awarded £200k in grant funding to pilot the development of these partnership models. It is hoped that this early intervention will allow the diversion of some offenders and the use of robust alternatives to custody, where appropriate.

Prisoners

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the size of the prison population in (a) 2020, (b) 2025, (c) 2030 and (d) 2050.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Justice publishes, as National Statistics, a projection of the prison population over either (i) the period to the end of the current Spending Review or (ii) 4 years, whichever is longer. The department does not produce longer term projections. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/480031/prison-population-projections-2015-2021.pdf

Prison Sentences

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps he has taken to reduce the number of people serving sentences of imprisonment for public protection after their prison tariff has expired.

Andrew Selous: IPP sentences were introduced in 2003 and abolished in 2012 by the Coalition Government. IPP prisoners can be released when the Parole Board is satisfied that they are safely managed in the community. It is a priority for us to help remaining IPP prisoners progress towards release, including by ensuring that their parole reviews take place on time, through greater efficiency in the parole process, and by giving their opportunity to complete relevant interventions and work. In 2015 there were 512 IPP releases - the highest number of annual releases since the sentence became available.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals were submitted to the Tribunals Service from appellants in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England regarding (i) personal independence payment, (ii) employment and support allowance, (iii) income support, (iv) jobseeker's allowance and (v) tax credits in 2015; and how many of those appeals were successful.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The table below provides information about the number of appeals which were submitted to HMCTS from appellants in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England relating to (i) Personal Independence Payment (PIP), (ii) Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), (iii) Income Support (IS), (iv) Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) and (v) tax credits between January and December 2015; however, HMCTS is unable to confirm how many of those appeals were successful as the appeals cleared within a given period will not correlate to the appeals received during that period.Information in relation to SSCS appeals is published in the Tribunal and Gender Recognition Certificate Statistics Quarterly. The most recent report, for the period October to December 2015, published on 10 March 2016, can be viewed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunal-and-gender-recognition-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2015 Number of appeals submitted to HMCTS  January - December 2015 PIP1ESA2ISJSATax Credits3  Coventry699359404181  West Midlands 45,5152,479245394629  England 544,63943,0332,3744,3846,026 Notes:  1. Personal Independence Payment (New Claim Appeals) which replaces Disability Living Allowance was introduced on 8 April 2013, also includes Personal Independence Claims (Reassessments).2. Includes Employment Support Allowance and Employment Support Allowance (Reassessments).3. Includes Working Family Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Working Tax Credit.4. West Midlands includes the venues: Birmingham, Coventry, Hereford, Stoke, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Shrewsbury, Worcester (Fownes), Kidderminster, Coventry (CMCB), Worcester (Magistrates Court), Hereford (Magistrates Court).5. Excludes SSCS Scotland and Wales.Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data available. The data may differ slightly to that of the published statistics as the data were produced on a different date.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appellants in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England are waiting for the Tribunals Service to list their Fist-Tier Tribunal Social Security and Child Support appeal in respect of personal independence payment.

Mr Shailesh Vara: There are always a number of ‘live’ appeals which are at the various stages of processing before being listed for a tribunal hearing. This does not just include those waiting for a listing date to be allocated. The data also include appeals which may not require a final hearing; have had an initial hearing but have not had a final decision; or are stayed, pending the outcome of other proceedings. As at 31 December 2015 (the latest period for which data have been published) there were a total of 213 PIP live appeals in the Coventry venues; 1,834 in the West Midlands[1]; and 16,178 in England[2]. Information in relation to SSCS appeals is published in the Tribunal and Gender Recognition Certificate Statistics Quarterly. The most recent report, for the period October to December 2015, published on 10 March 2016, can be viewed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunal-and-gender-recognition-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2015 1West Midlands includes the venues: Birmingham, Coventry, Hereford, Stoke, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Shrewsbury, Worcester (Fownes), Kidderminster, Coventry (CMCB), Worcester (Magistrates Court), Hereford (Magistrates Court), Leamington Spa, Nuneaton and Walsall2Excludes SSCS Scotland processing centre and the following venues: Aberystwyth, Bridgend, Cardiff, Caernafon, Carmarthen, Colwyn Bay, Cwmbran, Haverfordwest, Llandrindod Wells, Langstone, Llandudno, Llanelli, Llangefni, Llwynypia, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath, Port Talbot, Newtown, Pontypridd, Pontypool, Prestatyn, Swansea, Welshpool, Wrexham, Bargoed and Ebbw ValeData are drawn from a live administrative database. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system and are the best data available.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of time was for the Tribunals Service to administer a First-Tier Tribunal Social Security and Child Support appeal in respect of (a) personal independence payment, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) income support, (d) jobseeker's allowance and (e) tax credits in (i) Coventry, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The table below shows the average length of time to administer appeals in respect of (a) personal independence payment (PIP), (b) employment and support allowance (ESA), (c) income support (IS), (d) jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) and (e) tax credits in (i) Coventry, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England between April and December 2015, the latest period for which figures are available.Information on the timeliness of appeals to the Tribunal is published by the Ministry of Justice in the Tribunal and Gender Recognition Certificate Statistics Quarterly. The most recent statistics, for the period October to December 2015, published on 10 March 2016, can be viewed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunal-and-gender-recognition-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2015 Average length of time (in weeks) to administer appeals between April and December 2015 PIP1ESA2ISJSATax Credits3Coventry  16.721.12916.829.1West Midlands 418.521.130.521.431.5England 5  16.317.727.821.127.1 Notes:SSCS data are normally registered to the venue nearest to the appellant's home address. We cannot retrieve data based on the appellant’s actual address, but can produce reports detailing the numbers of cases that were dealt with at one of our Regional centres or heard at a specific venue.1. Personal Independence Payment (New Claim Appeals) which replaces Disability Living Allowance was introduced on 8 April 2013, also includes Personal Independence Claims (Reassessments)2. Includes Employment Support Allowance and Employment Support Allowance (Reassessments)3. Includes Working Family Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit.4. West Midlands includes the venues in: Birmingham, Coventry, Hereford, Stoke, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Shrewsbury, Kidderminster, Leamington Spa, Nuneaton and Walsall.5. Excludes SSCS Scotland processing centre and the following venues Aberystwyth, Bridgend, Cardiff, Caernafon, Carmarthen, Colwyn Bay, Cwmbran, Haverfordwest, Llandrindod Wells, Langstone, Llandudno, Llanelli, Llangefni, Llwynypia, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath, Port Talbot, Newtown, Pontypridd, Pontypool, Prestatyn, Swansea, Welshpool, Wrexham, Bargoed and Ebbw ValeAlthough care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data available.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the methodology used to calculate the employment tribunal fees increase in preventing a reduction in the number of cases coming to tribunal.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Justice is currently undertaking a post-implementation review of the impact of the introduction of fees in the Employment Tribunals. The review will report in due course.

Reoffenders

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the reoffending rates are for offenders who have had a conviction (a) under and (b) over 12 months in each of the last five years.

Dominic Raab: The most recent proven reoffending bulletin can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/proven-reoffending-statistics. A full report with data going back to 2003 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/519648/proven-reoffending-July-2013-June-2014.xlsx

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been paid from the public purse to community rehabilitation companies under the payments-by-results arrangement.

Andrew Selous: Cohorts were established from 1 October 2015 and there will be a 26 month delay before the first Payment by Results payment to allow for robust measurement, cases to clear courts, and analysis of the data. We have therefore not made any payments through Payment by Results to Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs).

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Food

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the annual budget is for food produced for his Department's offices; and what proportion of food produced for his Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department does not set a budget for food served in its offices. Catering is available to the department but this is not managed by DCMS. Figures are not available for food purchased by staff for their own use.

Football Association: Finance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding his Department allocated to the Football Association in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14, (e) 2014-15 and (f) 2015-16.

David Evennett: Through Sport England the Government has invested a record £47.5 million in the Football Association (FA) directly since 2010 to help grow and sustain grassroots football participation in this country. That equates to £8,176,302m in 2010/11; £5,550,910m in 2011/12; £5,042,685 in 2012/13; £10,287,050m in 2013/14; £9,175,259m in 2014/15 and £9,345,964m over this last year. Since 2010 the Government has also provided £10m each year to improving grassroots facilities in partnership with the FA and the Premier League through the Football Foundation, and we will look to invest a further £40m over the next 5 years to the FA's Parklife programme that aims to deliver 150 football hubs in 30 English cities by 2020. Funding for Parklife began in 2015/16. The Government is also supporting the FA's aim to increase the number of qualified coaches in this country by providing £10m over the next 5 years up to 2020, with a particular emphasis on supporting coaches from under-represented groups. This builds on the £3m The Department for Culture Media and Sport provided to the FA in 2012 for that purpose.

Football

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the Government's targets for participation in grassroots football were for (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14, (e) 2014-15 and (f) 2015-16.

David Evennett: Through Sport England's Whole Sport Plan process the FA has been challenged each year to demonstrate an increase in the number of people playing grassroots football in this country. In 2010/11 the target number of people aged 16 and over playing football for at least 30 minutes every week was 2,219,700; in 2011/12 it was 2,257,200; in 2012/13 it was 2,294,700; in 2013/14 it was 2,150,050; in 2014/15 it was 2,208,902 and in 2015/16 it is 2,267,386. As set out in 'Sporting Future', The Government has set out our intention to increase the number of people who engage in all types of sport and physical activity. However, from now on will move away from our historic focus on how many people are playing one sport or another at a particular moment to understanding how active people are overall. As part of this, we will also target funding at groups which have traditionally had lower participation rates, including by extending Sport England’s remit to engage people from as young as five, to help create a much healthier and more active nation.

BBC World Service

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to pages 13 and 39 of the White Paper, A BBC for the future: a broadcaster of distinction, published in May 2016, what his Department plans to spend the £85 million of new funding for the World Service on.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The additional Government funding for the BBC World Service was agreed as part of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 and will be provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It will be used to provide additional language services subject to agreement by the Foreign Secretary and the BBC Trust.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of how much people in rural areas will have to contribute to receive a basic 10 Mbit/s broadband connection as a result of his Department's decision not to automatically roll-out broadband to all households and businesses.

Mr Edward Vaizey: This information is not yet available. Ofcom's call for evidence on the the design of the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) invites views on how a reasonable cost threshold for a broadband connection might be determined. The new broadband USO will give all households and businesses the legal right to request a fast broadband connection. This would work similarly to the telephone USO, where there is a reasonable cost threshold above which the hardest to reach properties are expected to contribute to the cost of the installation.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how his Department plans to allow rural communities to table collective requests for broadband connections.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Ofcom has been commissioned to provide technical analysis and recommendations to help inform the design of the broadband Universal Service Obligation. One of the issues that they have been asked to advise on is how individual consumer requests for a broadband connection can be aggregated so that communities can benefit. Ofcom have published a call for inputs to support this work, which will run until 23rd June and this is available at:- http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/broadband-USO-CFI/ Ofcom has been asked to report on its findings by the end of the year.

Television: Licensing

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of households in which the occupants qualify for free television licences that will make voluntary payments in each year up to 2022.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government has agreed that the BBC will be able to ask for voluntary payment of the licence fee from those aged 75 and over who are entitled to a free licence. We are working with the BBC to implement the legal aspects of this agreement, but the number of households which may choose to make such a payment is unknown.

BBC: Public Appointments

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 50 of the White Paper, A BBC for the future: a broadcaster of distinction, published in May 2016, if he will publish details of the appointment process for members of the new BBC unitary board.

Mr Edward Vaizey: As a result of the proposals set out in the White Paper the BBC, for the first time, will be responsible for appointing at least half of its own board members. This approach will enhance the independence of the BBC and its Board. For the public appointments to the new Unitary Board, these will be made in line with OCPA processes, with final approval coming from the Queen's Council. Appointments made by the BBC to the new board will also follow public appointments best practice, including independent members on the selection panels.

BBC: Public Appointments

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 50 of the White Paper, A BBC for the future: a broadcaster of distinction, published in May 2016, if he will publish details of the public appointments process for the chair, deputy chair and non-executive members from the four nations of the UK for the new BBC unitary board.

Mr Edward Vaizey: As a result of the proposals set out in the White Paper the BBC, for the first time, will be responsible for appointing at least half of its own board members. This approach will enhance the independence of the BBC and its Board. For the public appointments to the new Unitary Board, these will be made in line with OCPA processes. With particular reference to the appointment of the four national representatives the Government's intention is to follow the existing protocol of involving each of the devolved administrations in the process for the relevant representative.

Telephone Systems: Repairs and Maintenance

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with BT on the time taken to repair faulty telephone lines.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Ministers have raised the issue of the time taken for service requests and repairs with senior management at BT and Openreach.Government supports the measures Ofcom announced in its Digital Communications Review to address the problem across all communication service providers, including: raising minimum standards for the time taken to install new lines and make repairs; and encouraging proactive behaviour in the maintenance of the network. Government expects Openreach’s performance to be consistently above the minimum standard.

Football: Hooliganism

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will hold urgent discussions with the football authorities in England and Scotland on the implications of the events at Hampden Park, Glasgow at the Scottish Cup final in May 2016 for his Department's policies on preventing football hooliganism.

David Evennett: Responsibility for safety at football grounds in Scotland is devolved so any discussions would be for the Scottish Government. I meet regularly with the Football Association, the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (who are responsible for safety at sports grounds in England and Wales) and others to discuss those safety issues for which I am responsible.

BBC: Archives

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 73 of his Department's White Paper, A BBC for the future, published in May 2016, what steps he is taking to ensure that the BBC archive is made accessible to as wide a range of institutions and organisations as possible; and what funding his Department plans to provide to support that aim.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The BBC receives over £3.7 billion of public money each year through the licence fee. As set out in the Government's White Paper, A BBC for the future: a Broadcaster of Distinction, the government encourages the BBC to do more to open up its archive and ensure that it can be used by the public and as wide a range of institutions and organisations as possible. ​How the BBC uses the public money it receives to achieve this is matter for the BBC.

Broadband

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Culture and Digital Economy of 23 May 2016, Official Report, column 371, what estimate his Department has made of the number of households that will not request broadband access under the broadband universal service obligation.

Mr Edward Vaizey: We do not yet have a specific estimate for the future take-up under the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO). Once in place the USO will act as a safety net giving homes and businesses the right to a fast broadband connection of at least 10 Mbps where superfast broadband is not available. Superfast broadband is available to 90% of premises, up from 45% in 2010 and roll-out will continue when the Government’s target of at least 95% superfast broadband coverage by the end of 2017 has been met. The Government is committed to reinvesting funding to extend superfast broadband to as many rural homes and businesses as possible.

Casinos

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will undertake or commission research to measure the (a) the effect of remote casinos on the terrestrial casino industry and (b) the benefits and disbenefits of remote casinos to the UK economy.

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to bring forward proposals to update the (a) Gaming Act 1968 and (b) Gambling Act 2005.

David Evennett: The Gambling (Advertising and Licensing) Act 2014 came into force in November 2014 and since then all remote casino operators who provide services to customers in Great Britain must be licensed by the Gambling Commission. The first full year of statistics relating to remote casinos will be available in November 2016 and will contribute to understanding how the sector is performing. Gross gambling yield in the terrestrial casino industry increased by 46% between 2010-11 and 2014-15. Operators in all sectors - terrestrial and remote - are required to adhere to the conditions in their licences and ensure that controls are in place to keep gambling fair and safe for all. The Gaming Act 1968 was repealed by the Gambling Act 2005. The Secretary of State has a range of powers under the Gambling Act to ensure that the regulations governing gambling are kept up to date as the industry develops, and DCMS and the Gambling Commission keep this under review.

Gaming Machines

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to launch the Triennial Review of gambling machine stakes and prize limits.

David Evennett: In April 2015 the previous Government introduced regulations which require authorisation of stakes over £50 on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals through a “verified account” or staff interaction.The Government published its evaluation of the £50 regulations on 21 January. The evaluation paper can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-gaming-machine-circumstances-of-useamendment-regulations-2015 We will now consider the findings of the evaluation before deciding if there is a need for further action.

Department for Work and Pensions

Cancer

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the annual societal costs of occupational cancer.

Justin Tomlinson: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has carried out research on the total societal costs of new cases of work-related cancer diagnosed in Britain. This research is due to be published later this year.

Carcinogens

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of funding the collection of modern exposure data on occupational carcinogens.

Justin Tomlinson: HSE has participated in a European Commission funded pilot project exploring the development of a database to capture data on occupational exposures to hazardous substances in workplaces, see: http://www.hazchematwork.eu/. The pilot is expected to report later this year.

Mental Health

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Health and Safety Executive on pro-active inspection of the management of work-related psychosocial risk.

Justin Tomlinson: I have regular meetings with senior HSE officials where key priorities are discussed, including tackling work related ill-health.

Health Hazards: EU Law

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with (a) his EU counterparts and (b) other stakeholders on proposed changes to the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive (2004/37/EC); and if he will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: DWP Ministers have not held such discussions. However there have been extensive discussions at official level with EU counterparts and with a wide range of stakeholders on the proposed changes.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to meet with Women Against State Pension Inequality campaigners; and if he will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: The Secretary of State has met with a number of his constituents who have raised this issue, and with Tim Loughton, who has been involved in the WASPI campaign. He has made clear that he will not be bringing forward further concessions or changes.

Universal Credit: Disclosure of Information

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data Universal Credit recipients and claims in their area his Department will regularly release to local authorities.

Priti Patel: Work is underway to enable DWP to share data with Local Authorities for a range of specific purposes relating to welfare services and council tax. For example, to facilitate efficient and accurate administration of Local Council Tax Reduction Schemes or Universal Support. In implementing any data sharing scheme DWP adheres to the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998 and undertake a privacy impact assessment to establish, precisely what data the Local Authority requires; why they require it; and what they intend to do with it.

Housing Benefit: Patients

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidelines his Department issues on continued payment of housing benefit when a person remains in hospital for longer than 52 weeks.

Justin Tomlinson: Guidance for local authority staff about temporary absence from home is contained in the Housing Benefit Manuals on GOV.UK. The guidance for absences of up to 52 weeks is covered in paragraphs 3.530 – 3.534 of Chapter A3. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/236950/hbgm-a3-liability-to-make-payments.pdf

Disability Living Allowance

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment has been conducted on the change in the method of payment of Disability Living Allowance to being solely into a bank account.

Justin Tomlinson: There has been no change to the method of payment policy in relation to benefit and pension payments.DWP is committed to battling financial exclusion and helping more people to move towards, and benefit from, mainstream banking. Direct Payment into a bank, building society or credit union account is the most efficient, secure and reliable way of making payments and is the preferred way to make benefit payments. Government paying departments would like all of their customers to benefit from the advantages of a mainstream account.Although the majority of benefit and pension payments are paid into a bank account we do recognise that some customers remain unable to access such services. Arrangements are in place to ensure those customers can access their money.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will provide additional financial support to disabled people whose income will be reduced as a result of (a) changes in the employment and support allowance work-related activity group and (b) the universal credit work allowance as a result of provisions in the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016.

Priti Patel: No existing Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit claimants will be affected by the change to the work-related activity or limited capability for work components. We have committed to providing £60m a year from 2016/17, rising to £100m a year by 2020/21, in new, practical support for claimants with limited capability for work to help them move closer to the labour market and, when they are ready, into work. If a disabled person in work is affected by the recent changes to work allowances, additional help has been made available to help them overcome specific barriers to increasing their earnings.

Employment Support Allowance

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who have been reassessed to remain in the support group of employment support allowance have medical conditions that are not expected to improve.

Priti Patel: Between October 2008 and September 2015 a total of 38,100 people in the Support Group have been reassessed and found to still be eligible for Employment and Support Allowance, and to remain in the Support Group, and were also found to either be terminally ill or had a prognosis of “in the longer term”, suggesting that their conditions are not expected to improve in the short term. Source: Data is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by Atos and the Centre for Health and Disability Assessments. Notes:Please note that the figure supplied is derived from unpublished information and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support people who require a mobility vehicle during a personal independence payment mandatory reconsideration and appeal process.

Justin Tomlinson: We recognise that the transition from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be challenging for some individuals, which is why the Department worked closely with Motability as we developed our plans for the introduction of PIP. The Motability charity provides a one-off package of transitional support and advice to support customers who no longer meet the eligibility criteria for the Motability Scheme. For the majority of these customers, who joined the scheme before 2013, Motability will provide transitional support of £2,000. This should help support the mobility needs of those who choose to appeal during this period. Disability Living Allowance continues for 4 weeks after a PIP decision. Motability allows those who are no longer eligible for their scheme following PIP reassessment to keep their vehicle for a further 3 weeks, for a total of 7 weeks. This means that the majority of those requesting a mandatory reconsideration can keep their vehicle until this is completed. We work closely with HM Courts and Tribunals Service to reduce appeals times and these continue to improve.

Work Capability Assessment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of work capability assessments were carried out within 13 weeks of submission of a new employment and support allowance claim in the latest period for which figures are available.

Priti Patel: Official statistics for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) processing times are not readily available and to provide the information requested would incur disproportionate cost.

Pension Funds

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to allow pensioners to draw down all funds within any public pension schemes that existed before 2016-17.

Justin Tomlinson: Members of funded public sector defined benefit pension schemes can take advantage of the pension freedoms by transferring their pension savings to a private defined contribution pension scheme before cashing in their pension. Members of unfunded public sector defined benefit schemes cannot transfer to access the pension freedoms. In unfunded defined benefit public service pension schemes, there is no fund of assets with which to finance transfer payments. Instead, they are funded from contributions and through general expenditure.

Personal Independence Payment

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of personal independence payment applications were disallowed in (i) 2015 and (ii) the latest period for which figures are available.

Justin Tomlinson: Data on the number and proportion of claims to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) which were unsuccessful are available from Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.

Jobcentres

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which Jobcentre Plus offices he has contacted on the use of their own locally-developed claimant communications rather than using those produced by his Department.

Priti Patel: The Department has guidelines on its intranet for all Jobcentre Plus offices about the use of locally-developed claimant communications. These guidelines make it clear what can and cannot be produced locally.

Jobcentres

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what reports he has received on local Jobcentre Plus offices developing their own claimant communications rather than using those produced by his Department.

Priti Patel: The Department doesn’t produce any reports on local jobcentres developing their own claimant communications. The Department has guidelines on the intranet for all Jobcentre Plus offices about the use of locally-developed claimant communications. These guidelines make it clear what can and cannot be produced locally.

Personal Independence Payment: Inflammatory bowel disease

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with inflammatory bowel disease as their main disabling condition granted a personal independence payment between April 2013 and October 2015 were (a) new claimants, (b) expiring time-limited claimants and (c) claimants whose circumstances had changed.

Justin Tomlinson: The available data on the number of claimants in receipt of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), by main disabling condition and whether they are new claimants or reassessment claimants, are published on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html. Data on the circumstances leading to a reassessment is not published and could only be produced at disproportionate cost.

Local Housing Allowance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2016 to Question 34939, on local housing allowance, when he expects to publish information on the proportion of local authorities that will receive Targeted Affordability Funding.

Justin Tomlinson: We plan to publish information about which areas and Local Housing Allowance rates will benefit from the Targeted Affordability Fund later this year.

Occupational Pensions

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to publish its response to its consultation on Section 75 employer debt in non-associated multi-employer defined benefit pension schemes which closed in May 2015.

Justin Tomlinson: Following a Call for Evidence on Section 75 employer debt in non-associated multi-employer schemes, my Department is currently considering further changes to employer debt legislation. Alternative methods to help employers in multi-employer schemes manage an employer debt following an employer cessation event are currently being explored; we will consult on any specific proposals later in due course.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit claimants have been given a yellow card warning since the introduction of such a warning; and of those claimants how many were not subsequently sanctioned.

Priti Patel: A Jobseekers’ Allowance Sanctions “Early Warning” Trial was launched in March 2016 in Scotland. The trial is testing whether giving claimants a warning of an intention to sanction, and an extra 14 days to seek advice and support to provide additional or new evidence to provide good reason will be helpful to them and potentially reduce the volume of sanctions and reconsiderations. Data is currently being collected about claimants who have been subject to the new process so it is not possible at this stage to provide the information requested. An interim evaluation of the trial will be published in Autumn 2016 and a final evaluation in Spring 2017.

Housing Benefit: Databases

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the loss of local authorities' access to housing benefit claim data on their ability to target services and support tenants effectively; and if he will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: Local authorities are the data owners of Housing Benefit data. DWP shares customer data with local authorities in order for them to assess claims more effectively and quickly and to help them to keep claims right. We have contingency arrangements in place, should those interfaces fail.

Apprentices: Learning Disability

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people appointed to the taskforce to look at improving accessibility of apprenticeships for people with learning disabilities have learning difficulties.

Justin Tomlinson: The individuals invited to sit on the taskforce represent a range of organisations and specialisms, from employers and training providers to charities and educational experts. Organisations representing disabled people and those with learning disabilities have been invited to take part. It would not be appropriate for DWP to disclose personal information about taskforce members.

Department for Work and Pensions: UK Membership of EU

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2016 to Question 37198, how many of the leaflets entitled Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK have been returned to his Department; and what the postage cost to the Government has been of such returns.

Mr Shailesh Vara: I refer the Hon Member to the Prime Minister's response of 25th May 2016. This information is not collated centrally by the Department.

Housing Benefit: Young People

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has carried out an impact assessment on the effect of removing housing benefit from people aged under 25 on (a) disabled people and (b) care leavers.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department is committed to supporting young people so those who need support with housing costs will continue to receive it. The Department is currently consulting with stakeholders in order to identify those groups of young people and develop suitable protections. Once this work is complete we will bring forward detailed proposals and an impact assessment in line with standard procedures.

Ministry of Defence

Security: EU Action

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many security and military personnel and police have been deployed from other EU member states to respond to emergencies and other security threats in the UK in each year since 2010.

Penny Mordaunt: None. The deployment of the police is a Home Office responsibility.

Military Bases: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions Ministers of his Department visited military establishments in Northern Ireland during 2015.

Mr Julian Brazier: My hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces visited 38 Brigade on 26 May 2015. No other Defence Ministers visited military establishments in Northern Ireland during 2015.

Military Police

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many by rank of personnel there are in each (a) regiment and (b) unit of the Royal Military Police.

Mark Lancaster: The information requested is shown in the table below:  Royal Military Police strength by posted unit and paid rank as at 1 April 20161st Regiment Royal Military Police3rd Regiment Royal Military Police4th Regiment Royal Military PoliceSpecial Investigation Branch Regiment Royal Military PoliceSpecialist Operations Regiment Royal Military PoliceTotalTotal4304103802001201,540Lieutenant Colonel------Major---10-20Captain10101020-60Lieutenant101010--30Warrant Officer 1---10-20Warrant Officer 2101010201060Staff Sergeant3020203020120Sergeant5050405020210Corporal1601401305060530Lance Corporal14013012010-400Private303030--90Source: Defence Statistics (Army) The table above includes all Army personnel posted to Royal Military Police units regardless of their cap badge. The Military Provost Staff Regiment forms part of 1 Military Police Brigade but is not included above as it is not a Royal Military Police regiment or unit. They currently consist of 240 Army personnel. Data is for trained and untrained Army personnel. The data provided is for Regular and Volunteer Reserve only; all other groups have been excluded.   Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sum of their rounded parts. “-” denotes zero or rounded to zero.

Military Exercises

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to ensure improved risk assessment training and a more effective reporting culture for military training exercises.

Penny Mordaunt: The Ministry of Defence views the risk assessment process as a critical component of safety management. Defence already undertakes specific risk assessment training either under the auspices of general training units or by specialist unit safety staff. Some online risk assessment training is also available via the Defence Learning Environment.The Defence Safety Review which reported to the Defence Board in April 2016 made a number of specific recommendations concerning the way in which Defence could continually improve in terms of its reporting, analysis and exploitation of safety data. The Defence Safety Authority is addressing these recommendations and in particular the need to instil a culture of proactive safety reporting across all aspects of Defence activity, including training.

Armed Forces: Young People

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many new recruits to the infantry were aged (a) 16, (b) 17 and (c) 18 and above on enlistment in each financial year since 2007-08.

Penny Mordaunt: The number of new recruits to the infantry aged 16, 17, 18 and above on enlistment in each financial year since 2007-08 is shown in the following table: Financial YearAge on EnlistmentAll Ages161718+Total33,120 5,000 5,170 22,950 2007-084,4308009302,6902008-094,9008208203,2602009-104,6007006303,2802010-113,3206604402,2202011-124,5706206803,2702012-133,8403705602,9002013-142,0803303601,3902014-152,7103204001,9802015-162,6903803501,960Data Source Defence Statistics The figures are for Regular Army Other Ranks only and therefore exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service and Mobilised Reserves. Age on enlistment is derived from date of birth and the flow date of entries. Figures have been rounded to 10 to limit disclosure and ensure confidentiality; numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not appear to be the sum of their parts.

Cluster Munitions

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the (a) use and (b) location of UK-manufactured cluster bombs that were produced before the UK signed the Convention of Cluster Munitions.

Michael Fallon: The Ministry of Defence does not routinely hold records of the use by other nations or location of UK manufactured defence exports of any type.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many new Ajax armoured vehicles will be produced (a) in the UK and (b) abroad.

Mr Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the reponse given by my noble Friend, the Minister of State for Defence in the House of Lords, Earl Howe, to the noble Lord, Baron Moonie of Bennochy on 27 April 2016 to Question HL7778.



QnA extract on Armoured Fighting Vehicles
(Word Document, 14.37 KB)

Military Aircraft

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's policy is on procurement of a British sixth-generation jet fighter.

Mr Philip Dunne: As set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, we will invest in the next generation of combat air technology, in partnership with our defence industry and our closest allies. This includes joint work with France to deliver unmanned combat air operational demonstrators by 2025, a programme worth over £1.5 billion, as announced at the Amiens Summit in March 2016. These investments will help inform a decision on how best to meet our future combat air requirements.

Baltic States

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the threats facing the Baltic states; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with NATO allies on the number of troops deployed to the Baltic states; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Julian Brazier: The 2014 Wales Summit, under UK leadership, delivered an effective and united response to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and its actions in Eastern Ukraine.NATO has agreed to strengthen its defence and deterrence posture to provide further reassurance to Allies and deter Russian aggression.In February 2016 Defence Ministers agreed to address specific concerns raised by the Baltic States and Poland. Ahead of the Warsaw Summit in July, work continues within the Alliance to determine the size and scale of an enhanced forward presence in the East. The proposed measures are proportionate, defensive in nature, and not a threat to Russia, but demonstrate unequivocally the unity within the Alliance and the continued commitment of all Allies to the NATO principles of collective defence and security.A UK contribution will ultimately be shaped by what is agreed by all Allies.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on whether aircraft manufactured in the UK and granted an export licence to be sold to the Saudi Arabian government have been used by the Saudi Arabian military forces in Yemen since March 2015.

Michael Fallon: Saudi Arabia has purchased UK manufactured Typhoon and Tornado aircraft which have flown combat missions in the current conflict in Yemen.

Armed Forces: Young People

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which army regiments or corps may be joined by new recruits aged (a) under 16 years and six months and (b) under 16 years and three months; and which such regiments or corps entail (i) combat roles and (ii) non-combat roles.

Mark Lancaster: Recruits do not join their Army Regiments or Corps until after they have completed both Phase 1 and 2 training. It is not possible, therefore, for new recruits to join any Army Regiment or Corps whilst under the age of 16 years and six months.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking in response to the Armed Forces 2015 survey findings that (a) 12 per cent of women surveyed reported that someone had made unwelcome attempts to touch them and (b) only three per cent of servicewomen who were very upset about an incident of sexual harassment made a formal complaint.

Mark Lancaster: The Armed Forces take all allegations of sexual harassment very seriously; all such allegations are thoroughly investigated and action is taken where appropriate. We recognise that it takes great courage to come forward and report such allegations and we have taken a number of steps to improve training and awareness to ensure that Service personnel know how to report concerns and what support is available to them.We also recognise that tackling sexual harassment in the Armed Forces depends on Service personnel having confidence that the complaints system will deal with their concerns appropriately and will treat them fairly. This year has seen the introduction of a fundamentally new Service Complaints Ombudsman role and a reformed complaints system. The new process is streamlined and Service personnel are now able to approach the Ombudsman if they are dissatisfied.The Ombudsman has significant new powers to hold the Ministry of Defence to account for fair, effective and efficient complaints handling. The Ombudsman comments in her 2015 Annual Report (published in April 2016) that she is hopeful that the new system will make a real impact on confidence levels. It is important that all Service Personnel know where to get information about how to make a Service complaint, as well as about the role of the new Service Complaints Ombudsman and we will take further steps to communicate as widely as possible through appropriate channels the complaints process, particularly to female and junior personnel.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Royal Air Force plans to issue policy instructions along the lines of those recently issued by the Army and Royal Navy on cases with a sexual element being referred to the Service Police for investigation.

Mark Lancaster: The Manual of Service Law already provides that a Commanding Officer (CO) should take legal advice to assist him/her in making the most appropriate decision as to who should investigate alleged offences of a sexual nature. Further advice/guidance on the handling of such cases is currently being considered by the Service Justice Board, which includes representation from all three Services.Following the outcome of this review the Royal Air Force does intend to issue further guidance on cases with a sexual element being referred to the Service Police for investigation.

Warships: Wrecks

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he became aware that the Dutch salvage company Friendship Offshore had removed salvage from the wrecks of HMS Queen Mary and HMS Indefatigable, sunk at the battle of Jutland.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will make it his policy to seek international protection for maritime military graves by ratifying the UNESCO Convention and the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking assert the UK's right of Sovereign Immunity over wrecks from the Battle of Jutland and other Sovereign Immune Royal Navy wrecks.

Mark Lancaster: The Government of the United Kingdom would strongly condemn any desecration of any site of maritime military graves. By invoking the principle of Sovereign Immunity, and by designating specific vessels under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 and the Protection of Maritime Remains Act 1986, we endeavour to protect these important sites where we are able.The Ministry of Defence became aware of the possible illegal salvage of items from HMS Indefatigable in 2010 and HMS Queen Mary in 2011. After due consideration, following liaison with UK and international prosecution authorities, it was concluded by the Ministry of Defence Police that no further action could be taken.We are not aware of any illegal salvage activity currently taking place on other Jutland wreck sites, but should this come to our attention the matter would be reported to the Ministry of Defence Police. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is leading on the United Kingdom's position on the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage. It is currently considering the results of the 2014 Impact Review, in consultation with the other relevant Government Departments. The United Kingdom has already adopted the Rules for activities directed at underwater cultural heritage, found in the annex of the Convention, as best practice.

Veterans: Military Decorations

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Second World War veterans who have applied through his Department to receive the Légion d'Honneur have not yet received medals.

Mark Lancaster: In order to help the French authorities, who are ultimately responsible for the awarding of the Legion d'Honneur, we have developed improved administrative procedures whereby the UK is submitting Legion d'Honneur applications to the French in a steady flow in approximately the order that they were received by the Ministry of Defence.Some 3,300 applications were received by the Department between June 2014 and March 2015. After forwarding these to the French authorities, the majority of these veterans have now received their award; exceptions are those where no contact information has been provided. Since April 2015 another 1,500 (approximately) applications have been received, and they are still arriving on a weekly basis. These cases are being processed and sent to the French authorities at the agreed rate of 100 per week.

Married Quarters

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much rent his Department has paid in each financial year on properties within the Married Quarters Estate that have been unoccupied for the majority of the years (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14, (e) 2014-15 and (f) 2015-16.

Mark Lancaster: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Married Quarters

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many properties within the Married Quarters Estate have been unoccupied for the majority of (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14, (e) 2014-15 and (f) 2015-16.

Mark Lancaster: The number of properties within the Married Quarters Estate that have been unoccupied for the majority of the years since 2010-11 are as follows: 2010-11 1,8652011-12 14,1682012-13 12,2402013-14 9,8842014-15 8,3422015-16 7,675

Married Quarters

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on dilapidation payments in respect of properties within the Married Quarters Estate in the years (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14, (e) 2014-15 and (f) 2015-16.

Mark Lancaster: The costs for dilapidations in Service Family Accommodation are as follows:2010-2011 £1.4 million2011-2012 £8.5 million2012-2013 £1.5 million2013-2014 £1.6 million2014-2015 £2.2 million2015-2016 £3.5 millionDilapidation payments are paid as properties are handed back from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to Annington Homes when the MOD no longer requires them. This accounts for the fluctuation in the figures quoted.

Syria: Military Intervention

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many aerial strikes have been conducted by RAF aircraft in Syria in each month since December 2015.

Penny Mordaunt: The RAF is contributing on behalf of the UK to the wider Coalition effort to counter Daesh. In Syria, the number of RAF strikes since December 2015 is as follows: MonthNumber of StrikesDecember11January20February6March3April5May (as of 30 May)3 These strike numbers are constantly reviewed and updated by the Coalition to ensure records are as complete and accurate as possible. As such, there may be minor changes in future statements regarding such statistics.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the armed forces were convicted (a) by courts martial and (b) in civilian courts of sexual assault or rape in the last year for which figures are available.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 May 2016 by my noble Friend, the Minister of State for Defence in the House of Lords, the Rt Hon Earl Howe PC, to the noble Lord, Lord Moonie, to Question HL7972.http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2016-04-26/HL7972/



QnA extract on Armed Forces: Sexual Offences
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Armed Forces: Deployment

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of UK service personnel currently deployed on EU missions.

Mr Julian Brazier: The UK currently has around 120 Service personnel deployed on five EU missions, principally on Operation SOPHIA, where HMS Enterprise is employed in the Mediterranean.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will bring forward proposals to amend the Armed Forces Act 2006 to introduce more stringent procedures to deal with sexual harassment and sexual assault in the armed forces.

Mark Lancaster: Sexual harassment and assault is unacceptable - whether in the Armed Forces or across wider society. There are a number of processes and safeguards in place across the Armed Forces to ensure that victims of such offences are properly supported and that any allegations are properly investigated.As was made clear during the recent passage of the Armed Forces Act (2016), the Ministry of Defence is reviewing the very limited circumstances in which a Commanding Officer ensures that an allegation of sexual assault (where that allegation does not have to be referred direct to the Service Police) is appropriately investigated. The review is likely to take until the end of the year and the outcome will be reported to both Houses. Any necessary legislative changes could be effected through secondary legislation, subject to the affirmative procedure.

Eurocorps

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May to Question 37624, when the UK representative to Eurocorps was withdrawn.

Mr Julian Brazier: The UK has never been a member of the Eurocorps.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the obligations of the Government are under its Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Saudi Arabia on the supply of military aircraft and associated equipment and weapons which apply when Saudi Arabia is participating in an armed conflict.

Michael Fallon: The UK supplies military aircraft, associated equipment, weapons and teams of personnel to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under existing government-to-government arrangements. However, in accordance with the extant Memorandum of Understanding no personnel participate directly in Saudi military operations.

Ministry of Defence: UK Membership of EU

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2016 to Question 37198, how many of the leaflets entitled Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK have been returned to his Department; and what the postage cost to the Government has been of such returns.

Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the response given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 25 May 2016 to Question 37198.



UK Membership of EU
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Type 45 Destroyers

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on the remedial work for the power and propulsion systems of the Type 45 Destroyers; and what the total cost has been since the issues were identified.

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to seek compensation from Rolls-Royce for the remedial work for the power and propulsion systems of the Type 45 Destroyers.

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department will publish the Type 45 Destroyer - Independent Power and Propulsion System Performance Review.

Mr Philip Dunne: The decision to procure the Rolls Royce WR21 was taken in November 2000 by the then Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon. In announcing the decision, he accepted this decision “presents a greater degree of risk to the programme.” It was judged that these risks would be outweighed by the system’s long term benefits of greater operational flexibility, as well as long-term savings in maintenance and personnel costs and a lower environmental impact. As the issues now being addressed result from those earlier decisions, it is appropriate that liability for funding this work now rests with the Ministry of Defence. In terms of the contractual position, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for East Renfrewshire (Kirsten Oswald) on 8 February 2016 to Question 25239. On progress in implementing measures to improve the reliability and resilience of the Power and Propulsion (P&P) system, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Douglas Chapman) on 8 February 2016 to Question 25165.. The work to date has been carried out under the Type 45 support contract and the associated costs cannot be separately identified. A copy of the Independent P&P System Performance Review, dated March 2011, redacted in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, was placed in the Library of the House on 13 May 2016. 



QnA extract on Type 45 Destroyers
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QnA extract on Type 45 Destroyers
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Home Office

Asylum: Syria

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that Syrian children given asylum in the UK will be able to enter in time for the start of the school year in September.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 23 May 2016



The Syrian resettlement scheme has already provided safe haven to more than 1,000 vulnerable Syrians since the scheme was expanded in September 2015. More than half of these were children and we expect children to make up a significant proportion of the 20,000 resettlement places we are providing under the scheme.In addition, we have committed to resettling up to 3,000 individuals from the Middle East and North Africa over the lifetime of this Parliament through the resettlement scheme announced on 21 April for children at risk and their family members. As announced by the Prime Minister on 4 May and now reflected in the Immigration Act 2016, we will also work to admit unaccompanied refugee children to the UK from elsewhere in the EU, where this is considered to be in the child’s best interests. Work has begun on how best to implement the legislation and we are committed to act as quickly as we can, while ensuring that we have the necessary services in place to care for these children alongside those who are already in the UK and have claimed asylum here.We also continue to work closely with France and other EU Member States to ensure that arrangements for transferring asylum cases under the Dublin Regulation are operating as effectively as possible. A senior UK official was seconded to the French Dublin Unit to assist with the identification and transfer of cases and since February more than 20 children have been transferred to the UK from France and there are many other cases in train.All Syrian and other children brought to the UK will be given the care, support and education they require.

Immigration Controls

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish data gathered from border exit checks.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether data gathered from border exit checks will enable her Department to distinguish between short and longer-term overstaying of visas.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to use data from border exit checks to estimate emigration from the UK.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what analysis she plans to undertake of the data gathered from border exit checks; and whether those checks will provide accurate data on emigration disaggregated by route.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how her Department plans to publish data gathered from border exit checks.

James Brokenshire: Exit checks were introduced in April 2015. They will, over a period of time, provide us with a range of insights into the behaviours of migrants and how they comply with restrictions placed upon their length of stay in the UK.Data collected from exit checks is a record of cross border movement. It may in the future help inform but will not in itself answer questions on emigration.The Home Office has announced that it is considering the use of exit checks data for statistical reporting and intends to publish an initial evaluation of the use of exit checks for this purpose. The evaluation will be a technical assessment of the analysis carried out thus far and of the further analysis necessary to better understand short, medium, and long term opportunities.The initial evaluation of the use of exit checks will be published on 25 August to coincide with the next quarterly immigration statistics release.Publication of the initial evaluation on the use of exit checks will be on the GOV.UK website

Asylum: Children

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that unaccompanied child refugees have access to information in a form and language appropriate to their age and language on their rights to apply for asylum or family reunion which includes information on the criteria used in and estimated timescales for determining applications.

James Brokenshire: Unaccompanied asylum seeking children who have arrived in the UK are referred to local authority children’s services as soon as possible.As well as social work support, they have access to publicly-funded legal advice in relation to their asylum claim, to advice and guidance on the asylum process from the Refugee Council Children’s Panel, and to an interpreter if English is not their first language.

Immigration: Fees and Charges

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken was to decide fee waiver applications in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: The average time taken between January 2015 and December 2015 to consider whether an application meets the fee waiver requirements is 95 calendar days. These results represent the time taken with both asylum and non asylum based fee waiver considerations.January 2015 – December 2015 was taken as the 12 month time frame to fall in line with data that is published.

Immigration

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken was to decide applications for the change of conditions of leave granted on the basis of family or private life during the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: The average time taken between January 2015 and December 2015 to consider whether an application meets the requirements to change a condition code is 83 calendar days.January 2015 – December 2015 was taken as the 12 month time frame to fall in line with data that is published.

Immigration: Fees and Charges

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has service standards in place for considering fee waiver applications.

James Brokenshire: There are no service standards for fee waiver applications.

Asylum: Families

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful refugee family reunion applications there have been in the last three years.

James Brokenshire: The available published statistics relate to the 'Family: other' category, which are known to very largely consist of family reunion cases. The information is provided in the table below. Entry clearance visas (cases resolved of which: grants, refusals, withdrawn/lapsed): Family Other[2]YearCases resolvedof which:GrantedRefusedWithdrawn or lapsed20136,1084,2111,79710020146,6584,5961,93113120158,5444,9493,466129Source:Immigration Statistics Oct - Dec 2015, Visas volume 1 table vi_01_q.[1] For the year 2015 family reunion visas made up 99% of “Family: Other” visas granted.[2] The “Family: Other” category consists of:Family reunion: pre-existing family members (partners, minor children) of a person with refugee leave or humanitarian protection, who has not yet obtained British citizenship;From July 2012: dependants who are not partners or children of those with refugee leave or humanitarian protection;From July 2012: parents with access rights to a child. The latest quarterly Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in 'Immigration Statistics', available from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics

Asylum: Families

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugee family reunion applications to bring children of 18 years or older into the UK were submitted in the last three years; and how many of those applications were successful.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unsuccessful refugee family reunion applications during the last three years were rejected on the basis of the child being 18 years or older.

James Brokenshire: The family reunion policy allows those granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK to sponsor their pre-flight family members, i.e. spouse or partner and children under the age of 18, who formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country, to reunite with them in the UK.Information on the applicant’s relationship with their sponsor is not collated centrally. As such it is not possible to identify how many applicants have applied for family reunion as adult children aged 18 or over or what the outcome was.

Immigration

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has service standards for considering applications for the change of conditions of leave granted on the basis of family or private life.

James Brokenshire: There are no service standards for a change of conditions application.

Asylum: Families

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will consider proposals put forward by the British Red Cross Torn Apart campaign to extend refugee family reunion to include young people over the age of 18 who were living with their parents when they were forced to flee.

James Brokenshire: There are no plans to extend the family reunion criteria. The current policy meets our international obligations and strikes the right balance.Where family members cannot meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules, such as in the case of an 18 year old applying to join their refugee parents in the UK, we consider whether there are exceptional circumstances or compassionate reasons to justify granting entry clearance outside the Rules.

Immigrants: Detainees

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people of each nationality detained for over (a) six and (b) 12 months between 2005 and 2015 for the purpose of removal were successfully removed.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people of each nationality were held in detention for over (a) six and (b) 12 months between 2005 and 2015 for the purpose of removal.

James Brokenshire: The table attached shows the number of people removed on leaving detention, by nationality who were held for over six and over twelve months.Published statistics relating to immigration detention are only available from 2010 onwards. It is not possible to provide pre-2010 figures and this information could be provided only by examining individual case records, which would result in disproportionate cost.The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of people detained in the United Kingdom for immigration purposes, within the Immigration Statistics release on the GOV.UK website:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release



People removed on leaving detention
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Immigrants: Detainees

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people of each nationality detained between 2005 and 2015 for the purpose of removal had been previously detained for the same purpose and released.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is not routinely collected and could be provided only by examining individual case records, which would result in disproportionate cost.

Refugees: Children

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support the Government provides local authorities who express an interest in resettling refugee children under the Immigration Act 2016.

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to publish the outcome of its consultation with local authorities on the resettling of child refugees under the Immigration Act 2016.

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria the Government plans to use to assess the suitability of a local authority's capacity to provide suitable care for resettled children under the Immigration Act 2016.

James Brokenshire: The UK Government takes it’s responsibility in all cases involving children seriously and we will continue to ensure that all unaccompanied children are provided with appropriate care, regardless of their route to the UK.It is important that we work with local authorities to understand their capacity to support all unaccompanied children and ensure their needs can be met. That is why my officials are working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Education to ensure consultation with local authorities is consistent and coordinated across all resettlement and relocation programmes. Consultation with local government partners will take place over the coming weeks and Parliament will be updated in due course.We are keen to ensure that there is a more equitable distribution of unaccompanied children across the UK and that no local authority is required to take more children than they can support.The Home Office provides funding to local authorities for the care of unaccompanied asylum seeking children and recently announced new enhanced rates to support the transfer scheme. We will continue to measure the impacts on local authorities, but are clear that funding for unaccompanied asylum seeking children and refugees must be aligned, regardless of the route of entry for the child.

Deportation: Appeals

Mr Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many nationals of other EU member states have won appeals to prevent their removal from the UK in each of the last 10 years.

James Brokenshire: Information on how many EU nationals have won appeals to prevent their removal from the UK in each of the last 10 years is not held centrally.

Asylum: Eritrea

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 12 May 2016 to Question 36796, when she expects to publish the updated country information and guidance on handling asylum claims made by Eritrean nationals.

James Brokenshire: We intend to publish revised country information and guidance on handling claims made by Eritrean nationals in the near future.

Asylum: EU Law

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 21 April 2016 to Question 34026, what types of data her Department holds on unaccompanied children who have (a) applied for asylum in accordance with Article 8 of the Dublin III Regulation and (b) been granted asylum in accordance with Article 8 of the Dublin III Regulation.

James Brokenshire: Dublin III is the mechanism in place used to determine the Member State deemed to be responsible for hearing an applicant's asylum claim, providing the asylum claim has been lodged in at lease one of Member States. Article 8 of the Dublin regulations deals specifically with asylum claimants who are unaccompanied minor. Asylum claims are not granted under Article 8 of the Dublin III Regulations.Home Office records regarding the processing of Dublin III cases are recorded on the Case Information Database (CID), and would include but are not restricted to, name, nationality, date of birth, Member State where the asylum claim was lodged, Dublin Article relevant to the claim, request/decision details and Dublin case outcome details. Currently case progression data is not held in a way that allows it to be reported on automatically and is currently subject to a full manual interrogation of individual records to improve the quality of the central data.

European Arrest Warrants

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2016 to Question 37288, if she will publish statistics on how many European Arrest Warrant surrenders to and from each UK law enforcement agency of each type there have been in each region.

James Brokenshire: These statistics are provided by the National Crime Agency on their website at: http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/european-arrest-warrant-statistics However, this does not provide statistics on surrenders by law enforcement and offence - these are recorded separately.The following figures are therefore based on surrenders to and by relevant police force areas (excluding those law enforcement agencies that sit outside of regional police force areas (i.e., British Transport Police)). This, and the fact that these figures are taken from statistics for the relevant fiscal years, rather than the calendar years, explains the slight variation from the figures previously released.Police Force AreaSurrenders to the UK Fiscal years 2009/10 to 2015/16Cleveland1Durham3Northumbria6North East Region10Cheshire6Cumbria4Greater Manchester46Lancashire42Merseyside43North West Region141Humberside9North Yorkshire8South Yorkshire13West Yorkshire47Yorkshire and Humber Region77Derbyshire9Leicestershire17Lincolnshire8Northamptonshire0Nottinghamshire10East Midlands Region44Staffordshire24Warwickshire2West Mercia8West Midlands25West Midlands Region59Bedfordshire5Cambridgeshire4Essex4Hertfordshire15Norfolk9Suffolk10East of England Region47London, City of22Metropolitan Police139London Region161Hampshire18Kent28Surrey6Sussex28Thames Valley18South East Region98Avon & Somerset22Devon & Cornwall15Dorset5Gloucestershire4Wiltshire1South West Region47Dyfed-Powys1Gwent4North Wales4South Wales13Wales22Northern Ireland34Northern Ireland34TOTAL740 Police Force Area Surrenders from the UK Fiscal years 2009/10 to 2015/16Cleveland25Durham29Northumbria56North East Region110Cheshire103Cumbria18Greater Manchester268Lancashire122Merseyside106North West Region617Humberside104North Yorkshire36South Yorkshire136West Yorkshire360Yorkshire and Humber Region636Derbyshire69Leicestershire121Lincolnshire163Northamptonshire125Nottinghamshire145East Midlands Region623Staffordshire70Warwickshire42West Mercia79West Midlands373West Midlands Region564Bedfordshire129Cambridgeshire242Essex157Hertfordshire85Norfolk95Suffolk65East of England Region773London, City of11Metropolitan Police1967London Region1978Hampshire167Kent277Surrey58Sussex172Thames Valley273South East Region947Avon & Somerset128Devon & Cornwall85Dorset68Gloucestershire42Wiltshire41South West Region364Dyfed-Powys32Gwent18North Wales35South Wales55Wales140Northern Ireland196Northern Ireland196TOTAL6948

UK Visas and Immigration: Performance Standards

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what performance measures her Department has in place to assess the work of UK Visas and Immigration.

James Brokenshire: UK Visas and Immigration has published customer service standards, available on the gov.uk website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration/about/about-our-services#service-standards.

Entry Clearances

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of (a) international students and (b) other migrants have an entry clearance visa or extension of stay that has expired at the point at which they exit the UK.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 06 June 2016



The data requested is not currently available.

War Crimes: Sri Lanka

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has made to the government of Sri Lanka on the involvement of international judges and prosecutors in prosecutions for war crimes committed during the Sri Lankan civil war.

James Brokenshire: The Secretary of State for the Home Department has not made representations to the Government of Sri Lanka on the involvement of international judges and prosecutors in prosecutions for war crimes committed during the Sri Lankan civil war.

Burglary: Ilford

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many burglaries have been (a) reported and (b) successfully prosecuted in Ilford North constituency since 2010.

Mike Penning: The Home Office holds information on crimes recorded by the police by police force area and community safety partnership. The table provided contains statistics on the total number of recorded burglaries, by year, in Redbridge Community Safety Partnership, the closest geographical area for which data is held to the constituency requested.The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) are responsible for figures on prosecutions. They do not hold data centrally at the geographical level requested, however figures for London are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/524365/courts-by-criminal-justice-area.zip

European Arrest Warrants

Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were refused entry to the UK under a European Arrest Warrant in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not hold data on those refused entry to the UK under a European Arrest Warrant. Border Force officers have the power to detain an individual subject to an EAW, pending the arrival of the police. Statistics are not kept on EAW arrests made at the border.

Immigrants: Detainees

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Written Statement of 14 January 2016, HCWS70, on immigration detention, when she plans to publish the joint Department of Health, NHS and Home Office mental health plan.

James Brokenshire: The Government is still considering the arrangements for publishing the joint Department of Health, NHS England and Home Office mental health action plan.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to improve the timely conclusion of investigations by the Independent Police Complaints Commission; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Penning: In March 2013, the Home Secretary announced that increased resources would be transferred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to enable it to expand and undertake many more independent investigations, including all serious and sensitive matters involving the police. This change programme is under way. The IPCC has more than doubled the number of independent investigations opened (from 241 in 2014-15 to over 500 in 2015/16). The average duration of investigations reduced from 294 working days in 2014/15 to 225 working days in 2015/16.This Government is legislating via the Policing and Crime Bill to increase the IPCC's powers and to reform its governance structures. The reforms are designed to deliver a more capable, resilient IPCC with clearer lines of responsibility and decision making. They will further ensure that complaints and investigations are handled in a way that builds public trust and confidence.

Vetting: Croydon

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications to the Disclosure and Barring Service from people living in Croydon have taken more than 60 days to process in the last 12 months.

Karen Bradley: The number of Enhanced Disclosure applications from people living in Croydon that have taken more than 60 days to process in the last 12 months (for which data is available) is listed in the following table.May 2015 - April 2016Total Enhanced Disclosures Dispatched (applicants from Croydon)Disclosures which took over 60 DaysTotal34,0315,708

Vetting: Greater London

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service check, including the time taken by the Metropolitan Police, was in London for each year since 2010.

Karen Bradley: The average times taken for the Disclosure and Barring Service to complete all Enhanced Disclosure applications for applicants with a London postcode are listed in the following table.Financial YearAverage Turnaround Days2010/11502011/12202012/13122013/14142014/15192015/1624

Vetting

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current average waiting time is for the completion of pre-employment checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service in (a) England and Wales and (b) London.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Vetting: Greater London

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of Disclosure and Barring Service checks in London were completed within the 60-day maximum in the last 12 months.

Karen Bradley: 85% of all Enhanced Disclosures for applicants with a London postcode were completed within 60 days in the last twelve months (May 2015 - April 2016).

Vetting: Dulwich and West Norwood

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications to the Disclosure and Barring Service from people living in Dulwich and West Norwood constituency have taken more than 60 days to process in each of the last 12 months.

Karen Bradley: The following table shows the number of applications from people living in Dulwich and West Norwood that have taken more than 60 days in each of the last 12 months. MonthDisclosures Dispatched Taking Over 60 DaysMay-15121Jun-15124Jul-15158Aug-15121Sep-15147Oct-15159Nov-15123Dec-15132Jan-16131Feb-16136Mar-16148Apr-161421,642

Convictions

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average conviction rate has been in England and Wales in each of the last three years; and what that rate has been where the offender is someone brought back to the UK under a European Arrest Warrant.

James Brokenshire: The Ministry of Justice publishes statistics on conviction ratios, and these were last published on the 19th May 2016 (Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly Update to December 2015 (annual edition) at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015).The statistics on conviction ratios can be found at Table Q3.3 (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/524269/overview-tables.xlsx) and percentages for all offences were 81.8% in 2013, 83.0% in 2014 and 83.7% in 2015.In relation to the European Arrest Warrant, this information is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The National Crime Agency publishes statistics on the operation of the European Arrest Warrant and these can be found here:http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/european-arrest-warrant-statistics

South Yorkshire Police

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister of 11 May 2016, Official Report, column 627, when she plans to decide whether to launch an independent panel hearing into the policing of the miners' strike at Orgreave in 1984.

Mrs Theresa May: I am currently considering a submission from the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign on the need for an inquiry into the events at Orgreave and will set out the Government's position in due course.

Immigration Controls

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what security checks her Department carries out on EU citizens seeking entry to the UK; how those checks differ from such checks on non-EU citizens seeking entry to the UK; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: All passengers arriving on scheduled services to the UK from outside the Common Travel Area are subject to a range of checks against police, security and immigration watchlists. For security reasons we do not detail what these are. Non-EEA nationals are assessed against the UK Immigration Rules and EEA nationals need to meet the requirements of the relevant Regulations.

Psychoactive Substances Act 2016

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what resources her Department has allocated to publicise the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.

Karen Bradley: Communications activity to make people aware of the intended blanket ban on psychoactive substances has been developed by Home Office officials, working closely with and agencies such as the National Police Chiefs Council and Public Health England. We have consulted with external partners such as Angelus Foundation, Mentor and Adfam. Activity will explain the legislative changes and consequences to sellers, young people and other users and signpost support and advice. In addition we have also planned proactive press features for the commencement of the act.Value for money is being maximised through the use of existing internal resources, materials developed at no cost in-house and free to use channels, such as press, publicity and social media to raise awareness of the ban.

Asylum: Housing

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what annual per-person rate her Department provides to each of its Compass contractors for the accommodation of asylum seekers.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office provides accommodation for eligible asylum seekers via its contractual arrangements with three suppliers. Payments are made on a per person per night basis. The details of these daily rates are commercially sensitive and therefore we are unable to release this information.

Asylum: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what arrangements have been made to guarantee access to legal representation for an asylum claim for asylum seekers dispersed to (a) current dispersal areas, (b) new dispersal areas and (c) Scotland.

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures are in place to ensure that the appropriate health services, mental health services and sexual health services are available to asylum seekers dispersed to (a) current dispersal areas, (b) new dispersal areas and (c) Scotland.

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures are in place to ensure that local communities are involved and considered in discussions on the dispersal of asylum seekers to (a) current dispersal areas, (b) new dispersal areas and (c) Scotland.

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures are in place to ensure that the appropriate educational provision is in place for asylum seekers dispersed to (a) current dispersal areas, (b) new dispersal areas and (c) Scotland.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office maintains an active partnership with local governments across the UK, including those in Scotland, and funds Strategic Migration Partnerships to plan for the most appropriate dispersal of asylum seekers. The partnerships consider the impact on communities and local services so that adjustments to dispersal patterns can be made where appropriate.Free access to NHS healthcare is provided to asylum seekers. Asylum Health Teams are commissioned by NHS England and Scotland to provide healthcare and screening. Strategic Migration Partnerships work with Care Commissioning Groups to plan for the health care needs of asylum seekers in their regions.All children are entitled to free primary and secondary education. To enable access to education, internal checks are in place to triage applications involving children of school age for priority dispersal into permanent accommodation. Strategic Migration Partnerships discuss education provision as part of their local authority engagement. Asylum seekers are able to access legal advice via the Legal Aid system and are provided details of local solicitors as part of their induction into their dispersal region.Local authorities are consulted before asylum seekers are placed in their area, so that the potential impact on communities and local services is fully considered. During discussions on widening dispersal in Scotland we are and will continue to ensure that Local Authority leads and partners on health and education, as well as the Scottish Government and the Scottish Law Society, are involved to address any concerns and to ensure the close and successful partnership working in Glasgow is replicated elsewhere.

Counter-terrorism

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the terms of reference and the membership of the Prevent Oversight Board.

Mr John Hayes: There are no plans to publish the terms of reference or the membership of the board.

Terrorism: Disclosure of Information

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) people, (b) nominated officers and (c) other nominated officers were prosecuted for failure to disclose under Section 19, Part III of the Terrorism Act 2000 in each year since 2009-10.

Mr John Hayes: The Home Office holds data on the number of people prosecuted for terrorism-related offences under specific legislation, on a principle offence basis (i.e. if an individual is prosecuted for multiple offences at one time, only the most serious offence is recorded). Since 2009/10, there have been no prosecutions where the principle offence comes under section 19 of the Terrorism Act 2000.The Home Office does not hold data on the number of nominated officers that were prosecuted.

Asylum

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Immigration of 3 May 2016, Official Report, column 45WH, on asylum seeker dispersal, if she will provide the names of the (a) 103 local authorities that are currently asylum dispersal areas, (b) 20 local authorities signed up to be asylum dispersal areas and (c) 28 local authorities that her Department is in discussions with to become asylum dispersal areas.

James Brokenshire: Recently published Home Office data confirms that, as at the end of March 2016 there were 107 local authorities accommodating dispersed asylum seekers. This data can be accessed via the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2016/list-of-tables#asylumNot all dispersal areas are currently housing asylum seekers; future published data will detail new dispersal areas as asylum seekers are dispersed to them.

Visas

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the planned increase in UK visa fees on the number of people coming to the UK.

James Brokenshire: Assessments of the likely economic impact of proposed fee changes are undertaken by Home Office economists and are published online.

Radicalism

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will estimate the number and proportion of British violent extremists who were radicalised by people promoting (a) non-violent extremism and (b) views that conflict with British values.

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will estimate how many and what proportion of British citizens identified as violent extremists were radicalised by (a) extremist material on the internet, (b) contact with extremists through e-mail or social media, (c) contact with extremists through family connections, (d) contact with extremists through street gangs, (e) contact with extremists through prisons and (f) contact with extremists in Islamic out-of education settings.

Karen Bradley: Research shows that there is no single pathway into terrorism or extremism, nor is any one influence likely to be solely responsible for an individual?s radicalisation. It is a unique process for each individual, and the drivers are varied. However, analysis of case studies indicate that certain background factors, when combined with radicalising influences and an ideological opening, and in the absence of protective factors (such as supportive family or friends) can result in an individual being vulnerable to radicalisation.The Prevent strategy safeguards vulnerable individuals by building resilience to extremist ideologies, countering the ideology that terrorists espouse, and removing access to terrorist propaganda online. We work in partnership with families and communities to support and safeguard vulnerable individuals. We are working with internet industry partners to remove more terrorist material, and are supporting civil society groups to deliver counter-narrative campaigns.Our Channel programme provides support for those most at risk of radicalisation. It is voluntary and confidential, and support is only provided following careful assessment by experts.

Asylum: Tees Valley

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to ensure (a) compliance with and (b) appropriate implementation of COMPASS contracts in Teeside.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Immigration of 20 January 2016, Official Report, columns 1425-30, whether there is no predominant colour for the front doors of properties used to house asylum seekers in Teesside.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the progress of the programme to re-paint the red doors of properties used to house asylum seekers on Teesside.

James Brokenshire: The provision of accommodation for asylum seekers is provided under the COMPASS contracts. It is the responsibility of all of the suppliers to ensure that all accommodation used meets the required contractual standard and complies with the Decent Homes Standards. The accommodation should be safe, habitable and fit for purpose. The COMPASS providers are required to inspect properties each month and UKVI's contract compliance teams reinforce this by visiting properties regularly.The Home Office expects the highest standards and where a contractor is found to be falling short of these standards we work with them to ensure that issues are quickly addressed.Earlier this year, we instructed our supplier (G4S) to repaint the doors of G4S and Jomast managed properties to ensure that no one colour is predominant. I have received confirmation from the Provider that this had been completed, UKVI staff have also confirmed that no one colour is predominant as they have visited properties as part of their inspection regime.

Emergency Calls

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information she holds on the number of 999 calls abandoned before being answered in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and (c) Calderdale.

Mike Penning: The Home Office does not hold information on the number of 999 calls abandoned before being answered in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and (c) Calderdale.

Borders

Victoria Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what work her Department has undertaken with international partners on access to sources of data that can be used to enhance the security of the UK border.

James Brokenshire: The Government works multilaterally and bilaterally with foreign governments, international law enforcement partners and security agencies to share data in order to strengthen the UK border against a range of security threats. The UK uses Interpol’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents Database to identify individuals trying to enter the UK on such documents.Since April 2015, the UK has also had access to the Schengen Information System which allows us intercept individuals at the border who are subject to a European Arrest Warrant. The Government also works with the global carrier industry to process passenger and crew information to inform border security decisions in advance of travel to or from the UK and at the border.

Police: Football

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answers of 23 May 2016 to Questions 37209 and 37235, whether official guidelines on the policing of football matches abroad state that authority must be granted by her Department under section 26 of the Police Act 1996 to permit UK police officers to perform operational police duties abroad.

Mike Penning: Guidelines on overseas police deployments include detail on when approval from the Home Office is required under section 26 of the Police Act 1996.

Curfews: Stafford

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many curfew orders have been issued for anti-social behaviour in Stafford constituency since the introduction of such orders.

Mike Penning: The Home Office does not hold information on curfew orders issued for anti-social behaviour.

Crime: Stafford

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the trends in the level of crime in Stafford constituency in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Penning: The Crime Survey statistics published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that crime in England and Wales fell by 7% in the year to the end of December 2015 (the latest period for which data is available), and has fallen by well over a quarter since 2010.Over the same period, crimes recorded by the police have risen. The independent ONS has been clear that rises in police recorded crime are largely the result of more victims coming forward to report certain offences and improvements in police crime recording practices. Police recorded crime for the Stafford constituency for the last three years is shown in the attached table.  



Recorded crime figures
(Excel SpreadSheet, 9.66 KB)

Fraud

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many offences involving the fraudulent use of personal information have been reported to Staffordshire Police in each year since 2006; and how many such reports led to a (a) prosecution and (b) conviction.

Mike Penning: The Home Office do not hold the information requested. The responsibility for recording fraud offences transferred to Action Fraud from individual police forces between April 2011 and March 2013. Therefore, no fraud offences should have been recorded by Staffordshire police since then.The Ministry of Justice do not hold the information requested on prosecutions and convictions.

Asylum: Housing

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many reports of criminal offences against residents of properties used to house asylum seekers have been recorded in each of the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Yemen

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many claims for asylum from people from Yemen have been refused in 2016 to date.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from Yemen have claimed asylum in the UK in (a) 2015 and (b) 2016 to date.

James Brokenshire: There were 111 asylum applications from Yemeni nationals in 2015, and 15 in Quarter 1 (January to March) 2016.There were 12 refusals of asylum or an alternative form of protection, at initial decision, to Yemeni nationals in Quarter 1 (January to March) 2016.The Home Office publishes figures on asylum applications and initial decisions by nationality in the quarterly Immigration Statistics release. A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics, January to March 2016, is available from:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2016/asylum

Deportation: Yemen

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which companies were contracted to facilitate enforced returns to Yemen for failed asylum seekers from that country in 2015.

James Brokenshire: There were no escorted enforced returns to Yemen in 2015.

Deportation: Yemen

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on which dates in 2015 enforced removals of people from Yemen who had unsuccessfully claimed asylum took place.

James Brokenshire: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 14 April 2016, Question number 33999.There were no enforced removals of nationals from Yemen in 2015 who had unsuccessfully claimed asylum.

HM Treasury

Investment Allowance and Cluster Area Allowance (Investment Expenditure) Regulations 2016

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to lay the Investment Allowance and Cluster Area Allowance (Investment Expenditure) Regulations 2016 before Parliament.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals bringing leasing expenditure into the scope of the investment allowance and cluster area allowance.

Damian Hinds: Her Majesty’s Government plan to lay the Investment Allowance and Cluster Area Allowance (Investment Expenditure) Regulations 2016 before Parliament after Parliament’s summer recess. This Statutory Instrument will bring certain leasing expenditure into the scope of the Investment Allowance and the Cluster Area Allowance.

Financial Ombudsman Service

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the time limit that consumers can make a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Harriett Baldwin: The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 provides for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to determine the time limits for referring a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). This is therefore a matter for the FCA, who are operationally independent from Government. The question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply directly to the honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Annuities: Equality

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the compliance of annuity offers to male and female retirees since December 2012 with the Equalities Act 2010.

Harriett Baldwin: As set out in the Equality Act 2010 (Amendment) Regulations 2012, HM Treasury will review the implementation of the principle of equal treatment between men and women in the access to and supply of goods and services in respect of insurance services, including annuities, within 5-years of these Regulations come into force; by 21 December 2017.

Public Private Partnerships

Stella Creasy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 8 February 2016 to Question 25744, if his Department will publish a list of all PF2 projects commissioned in the last five years; and when he plans to publish the equity return information on those projects.

Greg Hands: A list of all the PF2 projects commissioned in the last five years are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2015-summary-data. The projects listed have unique project IDs and, for ease of reference, the IDs for the PF2 projects in the spreadsheets are as follows: 1506, 1507, 1508, 1509, 1510, and 1511. No decision has yet been taken with regard to when the equity return information will be published. We will be collating the equity return information later this year.

Self-employed: Manchester Withington

Jeff Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were registered with HM Revenue and Customs as self-employed (a) wholly and (b) partly for the purposes of tax and National Insurance in Manchester, Withington constituency in each of the last 24 months.

Mr David Gauke: The latest available data for the numbers of individual taxpayers with self-employment income, by constituency level, is for 2013-14. There were estimated to be 4,000 individuals with self-employment income in Manchester, Withington constituency out of 40,000 with income from any source. These estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes and are taken from table 3.15 of the HMRC Personal Income statistics publication. No information on the purpose for individuals registering for Self Assessment is collected.

National Infrastructure Commission: Public Appointments

Richard Burden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the process is for the appointment of a new chair for the National Infrastructure Commission.

Greg Hands: Lord Adonis was appointed to chair the shadow National Infrastructure Commission on an interim basis. The government is bringing forward legislation to create the NIC as an independent body, and will hold an open competition to appoint a permanent Chair, in line with the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Venture Capital

Seema Malhotra: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average length of time between an application being made for a Venture Capital Trust Scheme and the scheme taking effect was in each of the last six years.

Mr David Gauke: The average time between a company applying to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for approval as a Venture Capital Trust (VCT) and receiving approval in the last six tax years was as follows: Tax yearNumber of VCTs approvedAverage time taken to approve applications (days)2010-111672011-12692012-13 to 2015-16616 Notes The information for the years 2012-13 to 2015-16 has been grouped owing to the low numbers of VCTs seeking approval in each of those years. Disclosure of average times in each of those years could identify specific companies.The number of VCTs approved each year is provided in order to give context for the averages reported.The average time includes non-working days such as weekends and public holidays. Fractions of days are rounded up to the nearest day.The amount of time taken to approve a company as a VCT depends upon the specific facts of each case. Two cases in the period from 2012-13 to 2015-16 had significantly longer approval times, raising the average for this period. If those cases were excluded, the average time would have been 10 days.A company cannot raise funds from VCT investors until it has been listed on a regulated stock market. HMRC does not hold information about the date of listing although that information is publicly available.

Money Laundering

Mr Charles Walker: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of banks closing accounts of money service businesses on grounds relating to adherence to money-laundering regulations since July 2013.

Mr Charles Walker: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on how many money service businesses had their bank accounts closed in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16.

Harriett Baldwin: The FCA have recently published a report on the nature and scale of de-risking in the UK. The report reinforces the view that de-risking is driven by a variety of factors, not just anti money-laundering compliance or a fear of regulatory action. From a data set of 23 banks the report noted that “tracking the proportionately tiny number of closures linked to financial crime concerns within this immense dataset is thus inherently challenging, especially if the reason for closure is primarily commercial, with a small component of the equation relating to ‘increased compliance costs’.”However the report does indicate that the rate of customer exits has accelerated over the last 2-3 years. Data from HM Revenue and Customs (the supervisor of Money Service Businesses outside the banking sector) shows that there are about 2000 MSB’s principals registered to trade with approximately 45,000 agents around the UK. It is a large and diverse sector. HMRC does hold data on the number of de-registered MSB’s, however given that MSB’s are not required to provide HMRC with information on when they have had their bank accounts closed, data on MSB’s effected by de-risking is not available.

Banks: Regulation

Mr Charles Walker: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to increase the scope of the Financial Conduct Authority's terms of reference to include the application of the Treating Customers Fairly policy to banks.

Harriett Baldwin: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is operationally independent of Government and its remit is set out in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Under the FCA’s policy, banks which are regulated by the FCA are already required to treat customers fairly. Principle 6 of the FCA’s Principles for Businesses states: A firm must pay due regard to the interests of its customers and treat them fairly.

Fiscal Policy

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government has begun its IMF Fiscal Transparency Evaluation.

Harriett Baldwin: On 12 May 2016, Prime Minister David Cameron hosted a landmark international anti-corruption summit in London. A communique setting out a common approach to tackling corruption was agreed by participating countries and, where appropriate, international organisations. This included a commitment to undertake periodic assessments of fiscal transparency, as appropriate, using internationally adopted diagnostic frameworks, such as the IMF’s Fiscal Transparency Evaluation (FTE), the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) framework, or OECD budget review. Accordingly the UK has committed to undertake an FTE. This is not yet underway but the Government is already working with the IMF to agree arrangements.

Tax Evasion

Tulip Siddiq: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's news story of 10 April 2016, UK launches cross-government taskforce on the Panama Papers, (a) how many leads the multi-agency taskforce is currently investigating and (b) how many of those leads have a direct link to the leaked documents relating to the operations of Mossack Fonseca.

Mr David Gauke: The UK multi-agency taskforce has begun analytical work on all the data published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), in addition to a wide range of other intelligence which includes more than 700 HM Revenue and Customs leads with a connection to Panama. As part of this work, the task force is currently analysing and reviewing the names and addresses published by the ICIJ with alleged links to the UK and Mossack Fonseca. While the sensitivity of the work means that it will not be possible to give a running commentary on any investigations, or number of investigations, Parliament will be kept updated on any significant developments.

Tax Evasion

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any of the staff of the cross-agency taskforce examining the Panama Papers are working only on that taskforce.

Mr David Gauke: There are upward of 100 people currently involved in the multi-agency Taskforce, some spending more of their time working on taskforce activity than others.

Stamp Duty Land Tax: Foreign Nationals

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing an additional rate of stamp duty on property purchases by foreign investors.

Mr David Gauke: Foreign purchasers of UK property are liable to Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). Since 1 April 2016 higher rates of SDLT have been charged on purchases of additional residential properties, such as second homes and buy-to-let properties. For the purposes of the higher rates, properties owned globally are taken into consideration when deciding whether the charges should apply to a given purchase. In addition to this, non-residents contribute to the tax system through SDLT, council tax and potentially capital gains tax. The Government believes it has the right approach to ensuring all purchasers, including foreign investors, pay their fair share of tax. However, all taxes are kept under review.

Capital Allowances

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on business and investor confidence of potential retroactive changes being made to (a) Enterprise Investment Schemes, (b) Venture Capital Trusts and (c) other investment incentives.

Mr David Gauke: Finance Bill 2016 contains provisions to exclude all remaining energy generation from the tax advantaged venture capital schemes, and makes technical clarifications to ensure the rules work as intended. These measures were announced at Autumn Statement 2015 and Budget 2016 respectively. These changes apply for investments made on or after 6 April 2016. The government published tax information and impact notes for these measures, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/income-tax-exclusion-of-energy-generation-from-venture-capital-schemes and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/income-tax-enterprise-investment-scheme-and-venture-capital-trusts.

Tax Evasion

Tulip Siddiq: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 12 May 2016 to Question 36479, to where the £10 million funding for the multi-agency taskforce has been allocated; and what proportion of that funding has not yet been allocated.

Mr David Gauke: The cross-agency task force will be led by HM Revenue and Customs and the National Crime Agency in collaboration with all relevant agencies, including the Serious Fraud Office and the Financial Conduct Authority. Between them, these agencies have some of the most sophisticated technology, experts and resources to tackle money laundering and tax evasion anywhere in the world.The funding for the taskforce will be distributed as appropriate via the supplementary estimates process.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the soft drinks industry levy on levels of employment; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: The government will shortly be consulting on the detail of the soft drinks industry levy, and we will publish an initial impact assessment alongside the consultation. This assessment will be updated and refined when the policy detail is finalised. For Finance Bill measures, HMRC provide a Tax Impact Information Note alongside the draft Finance Bill legislation, which we expect to publish in the winter.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an estimate of the potential effect of the soft drinks industry levy on the (a) consumer price index and (b) cost of uprating index-linked benefits; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: Since 2010 the Chancellor has adopted the independent economic and public finance forecasts produced by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) as the UK’s official forecasts. The OBR is required to take into account the effect of government policies in its analysis. The OBR sets out its forecasts in its Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO), which includes a full breakdown of how the forecast is composed and any explanations. The OBR’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook document, published at Budget 2016, summarised the OBR’s views. The document noted that the OBR expect the levy to be passed onto the price paid by consumers. On this basis the OBR expected it to add around a quarter of a percentage point to CPI and RPI inflation in 2018-19. The government maintains that it is up to soft drinks companies how they respond to the levy. If companies reformulate their drinks to contain less sugar – as many are already doing – then they will not have to pay the levy. Companies two years to continue working on this before the levy begins. They do not need to pass the levy onto consumers.

Revenue and Customs

Tommy Sheppard: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 12 February 2016 to Question 26015, when he plans to undertake a comprehensive review of the performance of HM Revenue and Customs in dealing with correspondence and telephone calls from members of the public.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) customer service performance was comprehensively reviewed by the independent National Audit Office in a report published on May 25th 2016. HMRC have publically acknowledged and apologised for the deterioration in performance early in 2015. Since then HMRC have recovered and are now providing their best service levels in years.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Tulip Siddiq: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 2 February 2016 to Question 24013, if he will publish HM Revenue and Customs call handling data for (a) London and (b) each region of the UK.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not break down its management statistics by area or region of the UK and does not have the ability to do so. All statistics are prepared on a National level. Over the past six months, HMRC has answered calls across all of its helplines in an average of 6 minutes. Its performance data will be published in its Annual Report and following the year end audit.

Housing Improvement: VAT

John Redwood: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals to comply with the policy of the European Court of Justice of 4 June 2015 on the rate of VAT on energy saving materials, Case C-161/14 Commission v United Kingdom.

Mr David Gauke: The UK has applied a VAT reduced rate of 5% on 11 different types of energy saving materials since 2001 and that existing reduced rate remains in place and is unchanged. Following the judgement by the Court of Justice of the European Union, we published a consultation late last year on this complex issue. We are considering the responses to this consultation.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data from which year of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey has been  used to inform the development of the soft drinks industry levy.

Damian Hinds: A wide range of data shows that children in the UK are consuming too much sugar, and this is a cause of obesity and a driver of obesity-related disease. A single 330ml can of cola may contain 9 teaspoons of added sugar, which is more than a child’s daily recommended intake. This is why the government has announced an industry levy designed to encourage producers to reduce the amount of added sugar in drinks. The most recent published National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) includes data from 2008 to 2012. It reports that sugar sweetened soft drinks are a major contributor to daily sugar intake for children, accounting for about 30% of the daily sugar intake alone.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Energy: Meters

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many smart (a) electric and (b) gas meters have been installed in (i) Manchester, Withington constituency, (ii) Greater Manchester and (iii) the UK since the smart meter programme was implemented.

Andrea Leadsom: Data on the number of smart electricity and gas meters installed in Great Britain is set out in the Government’s ‘Smart Meters, Great Britain, Quarterly report to end December 2015’, published on 31 March 2016: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistical-release-and-data-smart-meters-great-britain-quarter-4-2015 The roll-out is making good progress with more than 3 million meters now operating under the Programme which covers Great Britain. Northern Ireland is undertaking a separate roll-out programme. Data is not collected from energy suppliers in a way that allows constituency or regional-level data to be produced.

Electricity Generation

Mrs Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what process her Department has for deciding whether (a) additional electricity generation is needed in a local area and (b) that generation should be centralised or decentralised

Andrea Leadsom: The Government does not determine where new generation should connect to the network; this is a commercial decision for individual developers. The Department has, however, introduced the Capacity Market, which is designed to incentivise both new generation investment and maximise the use of existing assets to ensure that Great Britain as a whole has a secure, affordable and clean energy supply. On 6 May, Government announced that it would buy more capacity, earlier, and bring forward the start of the Capacity Market delivery period by a year to 2017/18. The network charging regimes (through the locational price zones at the high-voltage transmission network or connection charging regime at the lower voltage distribution network) provide price signals that encourage developers to connect where it is economically efficient to do so, helping to limit costs passed through to consumers. The charging regimes are designed by the network industry in line with the requirement to be cost-reflective, and are approved by Ofgem. New generation connecting above 132kv will connect to the transmission network, whereas at that level and below, it will connect to the local distribution network. In Scotland, 132kv also forms part of the transmission network.

Carbon Sequestration

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make an assessment of the potential role of the UK in developing usable carbon capture and storage technology.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government views Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as having a potentially important role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK’s economy. However, CCS is currently too expensive and costs must come down. This is why we are committed to working with industry to help develop the technology and reduce its costs, including by investing over £130 million in CCS Research and Development since 2011.

Department for Energy and Climate Change: Hotels

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of the cost of hotel bookings made for (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in her Department in each of the last five years.

Andrea Leadsom: Overall expenditure on international Ministerial trips, which includes hotel costs, is published on the Government website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/decc-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-meetings-and-travel Providing similar information for all DECC officials would incur disproportionate cost, as this information is not held centrally.

Department for Energy and Climate Change: Secondment

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many people from which non-governmental organisations and energy companies are on secondment to her Department.

Andrea Leadsom: As of 28th April, DECC had 22 Staff brought in on secondment from non-governmental organisations and energy companies. The organisations they are from are belowBRE Housing and energy (1)Brighton and Hove City Council (1)Cavendish Nuclear Ltd (1)Deloitte LLP (1)Energus (3)Leeds Beckett University (1)MCA (Maritime and Coastguard) (1)National Energy Action (1)National Grid (1)Northern Gas Networks (1)Nuclear Graduate Scheme(3)Radioactive Waste Management (1)Salix Finance (1)The Crown Estate (2)UKPIA (UK Petroleum Industry Association) (1)Ultra Electronics (1)VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) (1).

Gas Fired Power Stations

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what analysis her Department has undertaken on the effect of limiting the role which diesel generators play in the Capacity Market on increased contract awards for new gas power stations.

Andrea Leadsom: The Capacity Market is designed to be technology neutral and allows all types of capacity to participate provided it complies with relevant legislation. The result is the generation mix most able to do this at the lowest possible clearing price. Defra will consult on proposals to control emissions from small generators ahead of the next capacity market auction – this will send clear signal regarding the long-term viability of investing in generation that may be leading to localised pollution. Ofgem is carrying out a review of ‘embedded benefits’ to determine whether these over-reward small generators. If so, Ofgem will take steps to correct this, which would reduce the competitiveness of diesel generators in the capacity market.

Department for Energy and Climate Change: UK Membership of EU

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2016 to Question 37198, how many of the leaflets entitled Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK have been returned to her Department; and what the postage cost to the Government has been of such returns.

Amber Rudd: I refer the Hon Member to the Prime Minister's response of 25th May 2016. This information is not collated centrally by the Department.

Energy: Private Rented Housing

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what financial and other support her Department plans to provide to help non-domestic landlords meet the requirements of the Private Rented Sector Energy Efficiency Regulations (Non-domestic) (England and Wales) 2015.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register: Redbridge

Wes Streeting: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate the Government has made of the number of eligible people who are not on the electoral register in the London Borough of Redbridge.

John Penrose: The last study of the completeness and accuracy of the electoral register was published by the Electoral Commission in July 2014, and found that Parliamentary registers were 85.9% complete and 86.4% accurate. This was based on the last registers published under the old household system of registration in February/March 2014. The next study of this kind will be published by the Commission this summer and will be based on the registers published in December 2015. The completeness and accuracy studies provide a nationally representative picture, and do not allow for analysis at a local authority level, such as the London Borough of Redbridge.

Cancer

Mr John Baron: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many cases of (a) penile, (b) anal, (c) head and neck, (d) cervical, (e) vulval and (f) vaginal cancer occur each year in (i) men and (ii) women; and what proportion of each of these cancers is caused by HPV.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Cancer
(PDF Document, 227.27 KB)

Civil Servants: Pay

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants are paid through limited companies in each Government department.

Matthew Hancock: The information requested is not held centrally.

Cabinet Office: Public Appointments

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a list of all public appointments approved by Ministers of his Department since 7 May 2015.

Matthew Hancock: All Cabinet Office public appointments are publicised as required by the Commissioner for Public Appointment’s Code of Practice. Appointments are usually announced via the department’s GOV.UK website or, in some instances, via the appointing body’s website.

Public Sector: Corruption

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Government plans to introduce a conviction check process to prevent corrupt bidders from winning public contracts.

Matthew Hancock: The UK committed at the Anti-Corruption Summit held on 12 May 2016 to introduce a conviction check process to prevent corrupt bidders with relevant convictions from winning public contracts. Work is underway to embed the conviction check mechanism and we will make a further announcement in due course.

Anti-corruption Ministerial Group

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Inter-Ministerial Group on Corruption has met since 12 May 2016.

Matthew Hancock: Information relating to the proceedings of Inter-Ministerial Groups, including when they meet, is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Government Departments: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of staff were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff in each government department from 2010 to date.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many non-payroll staff were hired by each government department in 2015-16.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was spent from the public purse on non-payroll staff in all government departments in 2015-16.

Matthew Hancock: The employment of staff is delegated to individual departments. Decisions on whether to engage non-payroll staff are taken by individual departments taking into account their business needs and the circumstances of the vacancy. The information requested on these staff is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office.

Corruption

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether a timetable has been agreed for setting up the new International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Government officials have been allocated to help establish the new International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with which countries the Government is working to establish the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has allocated any funding for setting up the new International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre.

Matthew Hancock: The government is working with international partners towards making the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre operational by April 2017, including agreeing terms of reference and resourcing. UK law enforcement officials will be seconded into the centre, and initial funding will be provided from the Prosperity Fund. A number of other Summit participants have stated their intent to commit resource to the centre, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Singapore and Interpol.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what (a) structure and (b) timetable has been established for the Government's consideration of the Chilcot Report.

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, in what format the Government's response to the Chilcot Report will be made public.

Matthew Hancock: The Prime Minister will set out the Government's initial response when the report is published. The Prime Minister will also set out what further steps the Government will take to allow for fuller consideration of and response to the report.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what provision will be made for helping veterans and their families who may be affected by the publication of the Chilcot Report.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a programme which provides legal recognition for a year of full-time voluntary service by young people similar to such programmes operating in the US, Germany and France.

Mr Rob Wilson: Opportunities for young people to participate in social action, such as those run by City Year UK, vInspired and Volunteering Matters, have contributed to making sure that young people have the opportunities to develop new skills and give back to their communities through volunteering. Some of these organisations are already offering a year of service to young people. The government is committed to increasing volunteering and social action, and to providing support for different opportunities and programmes that encourage volunteering.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether provisions will be made as part of the planned National Citizen Service Bill to create a new legal status to recognise those participating in full-time long-term volunteering programmes.

Mr Rob Wilson: The National Citizen Service Bill will place the NCS programme on permanent statutory footing. It is estimated that NCS participants have dedicated over 8 million hours of volunteering to their local communities to date. Other opportunities for young people to participate in social action, such as those run by City Year UK, vInspired and Volunteering Matters, have contributed to the success of NCS and made sure that young people have opportunities to develop new skills that extend and transform their life chances. The government is committed to increasing volunteering and social action, and to providing support for different opportunities and programmes that encourage volunteering.

Anti-corruption Summit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a list of all invitees to the Anti-Corruption Summit held on 12 May 2016.

Matthew Hancock: The full list of attendees is now available on Gov.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-corruption-summit-attendance-list

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Owen Thompson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's policy is on providing early sight of the Chilcot Inquiry report to injured veterans of the Iraq Conflict.

Matthew Hancock: I refer the Hon Member to my answer to the Hon Member for South West Wiltshire of today to UIN: PQ38695-PQ38697-38695.

Tackling Corruption Together Conference

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which members of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Corruption attended the Tackling Corruption Together conference held on 11 May 2016.

Matthew Hancock: The Tackling Corruption Together conference on 11 May was organised by a consortium of civil society organisations, businesses and the Commonwealth Secretariat. The government was not responsible for the guest list.

Anti-corruption Summit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which members of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Corruption attended the Anti-Corruption Summit on 12 May 2016.

Matthew Hancock: The full list of attendees is now available on Gov.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-corruption-summit-attendance-list

Public Sector: Procurement

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidelines there are for measuring the performance of contractors delivering public services.

Matthew Hancock: The guidelines on measuring and managing supplier performance are provided in the Contract Management Standards, available on the Crown Commercial Service website. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/commercial-capability-contract-management-standards

Armed Forces: Census

Toby Perkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy that questions to determine the number of veterans, armed forces personnel and reservists be included in the next census.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Veterans on Census
(PDF Document, 64.86 KB)

Public Appointments

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria are used to decide whether people are fit and proper persons to engage with Government as directors of companies or not-for-profit ventures.

Matthew Hancock: The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 include various grounds under which individual suppliers must or may be excluded from a specific procurement process. Mandatory grounds for exclusion include convictions for bribery, money laundering and fraud. Discretionary grounds include bankruptcy and grave professional misconduct. Decisions to exclude suppliers must be taken by individual contracting authorities on a case-by-case basis.

Government Digital Service: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the amount spent on non-payroll staff in the Government Digital Service in 2015-16.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Government Departments: Databases

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, by what date feedback should be submitted to the Data Science Ethical Framework.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how the membership of the Council for Data Science Ethics will be decided; how many members there will be of that Council; and how long those members will be appointed for.

Matthew Hancock: The Data Science Ethical Framework was published on 19 May 2016. This is the first version which will be adapted based on feedback and further research. Further versions will be published for comment in the same manner in due course. Feedback is always welcome.The Science and Technology Committee report on the Big Data Dilemma recommended that a Council for Data Ethics be established. The Government response was published on 26th April 2016 and can be found at the following link: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmselect/cmsctech/992/99204.htm

Honours

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria are used for decisions on the (a) removal and (b) denial of UK honours.

Matthew Hancock: The Forfeiture Committee which makes recommendations on the removal of honours can consider any case where there is evidence to suggest that the retention of an honour would bring the honours system into disrepute, for example, if an individual has been found guilty by the Courts of a criminal offence and sentenced to a term of imprisonment; or has been censured/struck off by the relevant Regulatory Authority or Professional Body for actions or failures to act which are directly relevant to the granting of the Honour.Honours nominations are considered by one of the nine independent honours selection committees. There are many reasons why a nomination may not be successful when judged on merit against other nominations.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Waste: Exports

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of waste exported for recycling which is contaminated and is sent to landfill or incinerated.

Rory Stewart: We are not aware of any waste exported for recycling which has had to be landfilled or incinerated due to contamination. There is a legitimate export market for quality recyclable material - but the law is clear that it is illegal to export waste from the UK for disposal. The regulatory framework governing waste shipments provides a mechanism for facilitating the takeback of waste to the country of export in cases where it cannot be processed as intended or in the case of an illegal shipment. The UK environment agencies have adopted an intelligence-led approach to identify and disrupt the movement of waste intended for illegal export. Defra has been working with the agencies to find ways of strengthening their enforcement activities.

Coastal Areas: Landfill

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to (a) monitor and manage old landfill sites in coastal areas at risk of being breached by coastal erosion and changes in sea levels and (b) reduce potential future environmental consequences from such erosion.

Rory Stewart: Monitoring and management of old landfill sites including in coastal areas, is a matter for local authorities under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Part 2A of the Act provides for the local authority to carry out remediation itself where there is an unacceptable risk to human health, or the Environment Agency (EA) where there is serious pollution to controlled waters (these include coastal waters and important groundwater sources), and to then recover the costs from those who are considered liable. The EA is actively researching this area including supporting a research project by Queen Mary’s University to assess the impact of historic Essex coastal landfills on the local environment. The EA hopes the research findings into these historic landfill sites may provide a useful contribution to future shoreline management plans.

Livestock: Antibiotics

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the recommendations of the final report of the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, published in May 2016, if she will introduce (a) a UK-specific target for the reduction of farm antibiotic use in livestock, (b) restrictions or bans on the use in farming of highly critical antibiotics and (c) improved transparency from food producers on antibiotics used for raising meat.

George Eustice: The UK Government welcomes the report and recommendations from the Independent Review on Antimicrobial Resistance. A full Government response to the recommendations will be published following purdah.

Environment Protection: Plastics

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on microbeads, of 5 May 2016, what discussions she has had with her counterparts in other EU countries on reaching common agreement on a ban on microbeads in personal care products; and if she will support a ban on microplastics in all personal care products, washing powders, household cleaners and industrial blast media.

George Eustice: The UK and a number of other EU Member States are calling for the European Commission to come up with proposals to ban microbeads in cosmetics at an EU level, as part of the ongoing negotiations on the proposed Council Conclusions on the EU Circular Economy Action Plan. We are also open to the possibility of the United Kingdom acting unilaterally if necessary. In addition to this, the UK, in association with neighbouring countries in the Oslo and Paris Convention for the protection of the North East Atlantic (OSPAR), has developed the Regional Action Plan (RAP) on Marine Litter (http://www.ospar.org/documents?v=34422). This RAP includes an action to evaluate all products and processes that include primary microplasti­cs e.g. microbeads and act, if appropriate, to reduce their impact on the marine environment. This programme of work will help to inform the UK’s approach to other sources of microplastics such as in washing powders, household cleaners or industrial blast media.

Convention On International Trade in Endangered Species

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what ministerial representation there will be at the CITES Conference of the Parties in September 2016.

Rory Stewart: We understand that the South African Government is intending to host a ministerial-level segment to open the 17th Meeting of the Conference of Parties (CoP17) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa from 24 September to 5 October 2016. We are still considering UK Ministerial attendance so I am not able to confirm this at the current time. I am however keen for the UK delegation to play an active role at CoP17 in securing positive outcomes for endangered species at risk of over-exploitation as a result of international trade.

Beach Huts: Christchurch

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether Natural England has agreed to the proposal by Christchurch Borough Council for the development of residential beach chalets on Highcliffe clifftop; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: Natural England’s role is to ensure that this proposal does not cause further harm to the geological interest or compromise future Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) restoration or enhancement potential. Natural England is currently in discussions with the council to ensure that it has all the relevant information to enable it to understand the implications for the cliffs and their current and future management. The council will require SSSI consent for the proposed development but no request for this consent has yet been received by Natural England.

Electricity Generation

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on foregoing the running hour exemptions permitted by the Medium Combustion Plant Directive on the total annualised emissions of the energy sector; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: Transposition of the Medium Combustion Plant Directive, including the running hour exemption, will be subject to full public consultation in autumn this year, supported by an impact assessment which will include impact on emissions of targeted pollutants. As part of this process, we will also consult on proposals for controlling emissions from diesel engines to safeguard air quality as announced in March this year.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many claims made under the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme are still outstanding; and when all the those claims will be settled.

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she expects all applications made before the deadline for the applications for the 2016 Payment Scheme to be paid this year.

George Eustice: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) estimates that as of 5 June 2016, 86,521 (99%) claimants have received a payment on their 2015 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) claim. Of these, 82,460 have received a claim payment; 3,936 bridging payments; and 125 a manual hardship payment. There are a number of claims where processing has been completed successfully but they have not resulted in a payment for reasons such as the claim being under minimum claim size, or the Agency awaiting information on probate cases. The RPA will continue to make top up payments throughout the remainder of the payment window up to the end of June 2016. While the payment window runs between December and June, the RPA expects to make 90% of payments on eligible claims by the end of December this year and all remaining payments as promptly as possible. As of 5 June the RPA had received 86,581 applications for BPS 2016.

Animal Welfare: Fireworks

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of fireworks on animal welfare.

George Eustice: The Government accepts that fireworks can have a detrimental effect on some animals. However, we consider that if users follow the correct and sensible use of fireworks combined with owners of animals taking certain precautions, these can help to avoid or reduce any detrimental effects.

Livestock: Antibiotics

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government's policy is on (a) European Commission and Parliament proposals to reduce the routine overuse of antibiotics in farming and (b) proposals for (i) an EU-wide ban on the routine use of antibiotics in groups of food-producing animals where no disease has been diagnosed in any of the animals and (ii) restrictions on metaphylactic use.

George Eustice: The objective of the review of EU legislation on veterinary medicines and medicated feeds includes tackling the threat of antibiotic resistance. The government supports measures that will provide a framework for reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock, including restrictions on preventative use. When one or more animals have been exposed to a bacterial disease threat and could be sub-clinically infected, the metaphylactic use of antibiotics may be essential to maintain health and welfare.

Department of Health

Health Services: Learning Disability

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients on assessment and treatment units have been diagnosed with mental health conditions in the last 12 months.

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether every assessment and treatment unit has access to autism-specialist services.

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many formal complaints have been made about (a) patient care on and (b) the management of assessment and treatment units in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether patients on assessment and treatment units have access to independent mental health advocates.

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether patients on assessment and treatment units have access to (a) occupational therapy and (b) speech and language therapy.

Alistair Burt: Access to an independent mental health advocacy (IMHA) is a statutory right for people detained under most sections of the Mental Health Act, subject to Guardianship or on a community treatment order. We would expect Assessment and Treatment Units to follow their statutory obligations to ensure patients have access to an IMHA where appropriate.The Learning Disability Assuring Transformation statistics data shows that of the 2,565 inpatients at the end of April 2016, 600 patients had a main diagnostic category of mental illness on admission.Data on the numbers of formal complaints made about patient care; the management of assessment and treatment units; access to autism-specialist services and access to occupational and speech and language therapy are not held centrally. However, NHS England, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and Local Government Association, published in October 2015, a Service Model for commissioners of health and social care services. This model sets out that when people are admitted to inpatient settings services should seek to minimise their length of stay and any admissions should be supported by a clear rationale of planned assessment and treatment with measurable outcomes. We would therefore expect all patients, irrespective of inpatient setting, to have access to the treatment and therapeutic interventions they require.

Orkambi

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to continue supplying Orkambi to cystic fibrosis patients currently receiving that drug as part of a clinical trial in the event of that drug not being approved for NHS use by the NICE.

George Freeman: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently appraising Orkambi (lumacaftor-ivacaftor) for the treatment of cystic fibrosis homozygous for the F508del mutation.NHS England has advised that it has published policies that cover the different circumstances where a patient is on a clinical trial and where the drug is not subsequently approved for National Health Service use. In the circumstances of a commercially funded trial it is normally the responsibility of the manufacturer or the hospital to consider whether they wish to continue making it available to individual patients.

Blood: Contamination

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether (a) he and (b) ministers of his Department have had discussions with the new Welsh Government on support arrangements for people infected with contaminated blood.

Jane Ellison: There have been no discussions at ministerial level with the new Welsh Government on this issue. Departmental officials continue to discuss the operation of the current schemes and the on-going analysis of the responses to the recent consultation on the reform of the infected blood payment scheme with their opposite numbers.

Kidneys: Transplant Surgery

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people received a kidney transplant in Teesside in each year since 2010; and how many of those people were from BAME backgrounds.

Jane Ellison: English Parliamentary Constituency Statistics for organ donation and blood donation are published by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and updated annually online at: http://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/partnering-with-nhsbt/council-statistics/ Teesside residents who received deceased donor kidney transplants between 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2016 YearWhiteBlack, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME)2010/1115less than 52011/1212less than 52012/131102013/1415less than 52014/158less than 52015/16150Source: NHS Blood and Transplant Teesside residents who received living donor kidney transplants between 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2016 YearWhiteBlack, Asian and Minorty Ethnic (BAME)2010/11702011/121202012/1311less than 52013/147less than 52014/151002015/16150Source: NHS Blood and Transplant Notes:1. Teesside defined as the four unitary authorities of Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees and Redcar and Cleveland.2. To protect patient confidentiality, NHSBT cannot provide figures less than 5 for each year. People from a BAME background are more likely to need an organ transplant than people from white communities, as they are more susceptible to illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes and certain forms of hepatitis. As only a small percentage of deceased donors are from BAME backgrounds, this can delay a suitable kidney match being found and BAME people will often wait a year longer for a kidney transplant than people from white backgrounds. In July 2012 the Department officially launched the National BAME Transplant Alliance (NBTA). This group was established to coordinate the work of BAME organisations working within these communities. The goal of the NBTA is to increase the number of people from a BAME background on the bone marrow and organ donation registers, increasing the individuals who consent to be donors and consequently increasing the number of bone marrow and organ transplants for people from a BAME background. The aim is also to address the persistent inequalities people from a BAME background face when trying to find a suitable bone marrow or organ donor

Kidneys: Transplant Surgery

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time on the organ waiting list for a kidney transplant was for people in Teesside in each year from 2010; and what that average such waiting time was for people from BAME backgrounds in that area in each of those years.

Jane Ellison: Information on waiting times is provided by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). This is provided by transplant centre rather than area. Patients in Teesside who require a kidney transplant are likely to be referred to the Newcastle Transplant Centre, where the average waiting time for a kidney transplant is 583 days. This is lower than the national average of 979 days. These averages are based on patients registered from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2012. NHSBT does not hold waiting time figures broken down by ethnicity for each transplant unit. Note:The average is drawn from a median formula.

Dialysis Machines

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost to the NHS was of supporting a patient on dialysis in (a) England and (b) Teesside in each year since 2010.

Jane Ellison: The information requested for Teesside is not available. However, such information as is available is shown in the table below and is from reference costs, which are the average unit cost to National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts of providing defined services in a given financial year. Reference costs are published annually, with most recently available data being for 2014-15. Reference costs for acute care are published by healthcare resource group (HRG), which are standard groupings of similar treatments that use similar resources. The HRGs in the table below describe renal dialysis activity for the treatment of chronic kidney disease and acute kidney injury. Unit cost to NHS hospitals of renal dialysis activity for the treatment of chronic kidney disease and acute kidney injury1 in England and Teesside2, 2010-11 to 2014-15   Unit cost per activity (£)  EnglandSouth Tees Hospital NHS Foundation Trust32010-11Renal dialysis for chronic kidney disease128932011-12Renal dialysis for chronic kidney disease1281452012-13Renal dialysis for chronic kidney disease127165Renal dialysis for acute kidney injury6812013-14Renal dialysis for chronic kidney disease130155Renal dialysis for acute kidney injury6312014-15Renal dialysis for chronic kidney disease131176Renal dialysis for acute kidney injury680Source: Reference costs, Department of Health Notes:The following HRGs are included in the table:2010-11LD01A Hospital Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via haemodialysis catheter 19 years and overLD01B Hospital Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via haemodialysis catheter 18 years and underLD02A Hospital Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via arteriovenous fistula or graft 19 years and overLD02B Hospital Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via arteriovenous fistula or graft 18 years and underLD03A Hospital Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via haemodialysis catheter with blood borne virus 19 years and overLD03B Hospital Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via haemodialysis catheter with blood borne virus 18 years and underLD04A Hospital Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via arteriovenous fistula or graft with blood borne virus 19 years and overLD04B Hospital Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via arteriovenous fistula or graft with blood borne virus 18 years and underLD05A Satellite Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via haemodialysis catheter 19 years and overLD05B Satellite Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via haemodialysis catheter 18 years and underLD06A Satellite Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via arteriovenous fistula or graft 19 years and overLD06B Satellite Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via arteriovenous fistula or graft 18 years and underLD07A Satellite Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via haemodialysis catheter with blood borne virus 19 years and overLD08A Satellite Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via arteriovenous fistula or graft with blood borne virus 19 years and overLD09A Home Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via haemodialysis catheter 19 years and overLD09B Home Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via haemodialysis catheter 18 years and underLD10A Home Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via arteriovenous fistula or graft 19 years and overLD10B Home Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via arteriovenous fistula or graft 18 years and underLD11A Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis 19 years and overLD11B Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis 18 years and underLD12A Automated Peritoneal Dialysis 19 years and overLD12B Automated Peritoneal Dialysis 18 years and under 2011-12Removed from 2010-11LD03B Hospital Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via haemodialysis catheter with blood borne virus 18 years and underAdded in 2011-12LD13A Assisted Automated Peritoneal Dialysis, 19 years and over 2012-13Added in 2012-13LD07B Satellite Haemodialysis or Filtration, with Access via Haemodialysis Catheter, with Blood-borne Virus, 18 years and underLD08B Satellite Haemodialysis or Filtration, with Access via Arteriovenous Fistula or Graft, with Blood-borne Virus, 18 years and underLD13B Assisted Automated Peritoneal Dialysis, 18 years and underLE01A Haemodialysis for Acute Kidney Injury, 19 years and overLE01B Haemodialysis for Acute Kidney Injury, 18 years and underLE02A Peritoneal Dialysis for Acute Kidney Injury, 19 years and overLE02B Peritoneal Dialysis for Acute Kidney Injury, 18 years and under 2013-14Removed from 2013-14LD04B Hospital Haemodialysis/Filtration with access via arteriovenous fistula or graft with blood borne virus 18 years and underLD07B Satellite Haemodialysis or Filtration, with Access via Haemodialysis Catheter, with Blood-borne Virus, 18 years and underLD08B Satellite Haemodialysis or Filtration, with Access via Arteriovenous Fistula or Graft, with Blood-borne Virus, 18 years and under 2014-15Removed from 2014-15LE02B Peritoneal Dialysis for Acute Kidney Injury, 18 years and under In 1974 the County Borough of Teesside was abolished. The former historic county of Teesside is locally used to refer to the north east of England around the urban centre of Middlesbrough. In answering this question we used data for the two trusts within Teesside, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust had no data to answer this question. For each HRG or other currency in the reference cost collection, NHS hospital trusts submit a unit cost and amount of activity undertaken.

Kidneys: Transplant Surgery

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost to the NHS has been of providing a kidney transplant in (a) England and (b) Teesside in each year from 2010.

Jane Ellison: The information requested for Teeside is not available. However, such information as is available is shown in the table below and is from reference costs, which are the average unit cost to National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts of providing defined services in a given financial year. Reference costs are published annually, with most recently available data being for 2014-15.Reference costs for acute care are published by healthcare resource group (HRG), which are standard groupings of similar treatments that use similar resources. The HRGs in the table below describe the average cost of providing a kidney transplant in a hospital setting.Unit cost to NHS hospitals of providing a kidney transplant1 for England and Teesside2, 2010-11 to 2014-15 EnglandSouth Tees Hospital NHS Foundation Trust3 Pre-Transplant (£)Transplant (£)Post-Transplant (£)Pre-Transplant (£)Transplant (£)Post-Transplant (£)2010-1194716,228381N/AN/AN/A2011-1234215,714188N/AN/AN/A2012-1340615,774260115N/A1202013-1470213,84119189N/A952014-1540012,39821176N/A116Source: Reference costs, Department of HealthNotes:The following HRGs are included in the table:2010-11 and 2011-12LA01A Kidney Transplant 19 years and over from Cadaver non-Heart beating donorLA01B Kidney Transplant 18 years and under from Cadaver non-Heart beating donorLA02A Kidney Transplant 19 years and over from Cadaver Heart beating donorLA02B Kidney Transplant 18 years and under from Cadaver Heart beating donorLA03A Kidney Transplant 19 years and over from Live donorLA03B Kidney Transplant 18 years and under from Live donorLB46Z Live Donation of KidneyLA10Z Live Kidney donor screeningLA11Z Kidney pre-transplantation work-up of live donorLA12A Kidney pre-transplantation work-up of recipient 19 years and overLA13A Examination for post-transplantation of Kidney of recipient 19 years and overLA14Z Examination for post-transplantation of Kidney of live donor 2012-13 to 2014-15LA01A Kidney Transplant 19 years and over from Cadaver non-Heart beating donorLA01B Kidney Transplant 18 years and under from Cadaver non-Heart beating donorLA02A Kidney Transplant 19 years and over from Cadaver Heart beating donorLA02B Kidney Transplant 18 years and under from Cadaver Heart beating donorLA03A Kidney Transplant 19 years and over from Live donorLA03B Kidney Transplant 18 years and under from Live donorLB46Z Live Donation of KidneyLA10Z Live Kidney donor screeningLA11Z Kidney pre-transplantation work-up of live donorLA12A Kidney pre-transplantation work-up of recipient 19 years and overLA13A Examination for post-transplantation of Kidney of recipient 19 years and overLA13B Examination for Post-Transplantation of Kidney of Recipient 18 years and underLA14Z Examination for post-transplantation of Kidney of live donor In 1974 the County Borough of Teesside was abolished. The former historic county of Teesside is locally used to refer to the north east of England around the urban centre of Middlesbrough. In answering this question we used data for the two trusts within Teesside, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust had no data to answer this question, and from 2012-13 South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust began kidney transplant activity. For each HRG or other currency in the reference cost collection, NHS hospital trusts submit a unit cost and amount of activity undertaken.

Health Professions: Training

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which organisations are consulted in advance of decisions taken on how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses will be trained each year.

Ben Gummer: It is Health Education England’s responsibility to ensure that there is sufficient future supply of staff, including doctors and nurses, to meet the workforce requirements of the English health system.The Workforce Plan is built upon the needs of local employers, providers, commissioners and other stakeholders who, as members of its Local Education Training Boards (LETBs), shape the 13 local plans.The Workforce Plan is predominately an aggregate of the local LETB plans, but the final national plan is only agreed with the advice and input of its clinical advisory groups and Patients’ Advisory Forum, as well as the Royal Colleges and other stakeholders.

Health Services: Learning Disability

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients discharged from assessment and treatment units were re-admitted to hospital settings in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients discharged from assessment and treatment units were re-admitted to such units in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: The data on patients discharged from assessment and treatment units and re-admitted to a hospital setting or an assessment and treatment unit in each of the last five years is not available.Health and Social Care Information Centre has been collecting data through the Learning Disability Assuring Transformation data collection since February 2015. Between March 2015 and February 2016, 1,835 patients were admitted to inpatient settings, of these, 250 patients were re-admitted within a year, including 75 patients who were re-admitted in the last 30 days.¹ Data on discharge has also been collected since February 2015 but readmission and discharge data are not linked and therefore may not relate to the same person.Note:¹ To note for those readmitted, Health and Social Care Information Centre can only consider the data they have from February 2015 onwards. Therefore if a patient was discharged in January 2015 and then readmitted in March 2015 they would not be counted as a readmission. The readmission figures may currently be under counting; however this will improve over time as the data set grows.

Hospitals: EU Nationals

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many staff working at (a) Queen's Hospital in Romford, (b) Whipps Cross University Hospital and (c) King George Hospital in Goodmayes are nationals of other EU countries.

Ben Gummer: The Health and Social Care Information Centre collects data on the number of staff working in National Health Service hospitals and community health services (HCHS) in England. Nationality is a self-reported field within the electronic staff record system. Data is only available for people working in NHS trusts.The following table shows the number of HCHS staff by nationality working at Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust and Barts Health NHS Trust as at 29 February 2016.



PQ38392 HCHS Data
(Excel SpreadSheet, 18.9 KB)

Health Visitors: Greater Manchester

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many health visitors were employed in (a) Manchester, Withington constituency and (b) Greater Manchester in each year since 2010.

Ben Gummer: Data is not available at constituency level. The following table shows the number of health visitors employed by Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust which provides services in the Withington constituency. The table also includes data for Greater Manchester as requested.  NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): Qualified Health Visitors in Greater Manchester and by specified organisation as at 30 September for each specified year and as at 29 February 2016.  Full-time Equivalent   201020112012201320142015Feb-16  Greater Manchester511527641686756872894 of which: 1Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust..99156169185199203 NHS South Manchester CCG......---- University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust-------   Notes: 1 The organisations located in Manchester Withington constituency Organisations are displayed alongside their latest name held in reference data. '..' denotes not applicable. For certain trusts, this may be because the trust did not yet exist, ceased to exist or merged with another organisation during the year specified.  '-' denotes zero. Full time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.  Following a public consultation in 2015, categorisation of trusts and staff groups has changed therefore restricting comparability with previous publications. Because of these changes, these statistics are classed as experimental.  More details regarding these changes can be found in the outcomes of the consultation document available at the link below.http://www.hscic.gov.uk/hchsData Quality:The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where changes impact on figures already published, this is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source:Health and Social Care Information Centre, Provisional NHS HCHS monthly workforce statistics.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2016 to Question 37441, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the provision of accident and emergency services at each of the eight urgent and emergency care vanguard sites currently provided with expert input by the Emergency Care Intensive Support Team.

Ben Gummer: At each of the eight urgent and emergency care vanguard sites, data is recorded on monthly accident and emergency Attendances and Emergency Admissions and this information is published at provider organisation level, from NHS trusts, NHS foundation trusts and Independent Sector Organisations. The below are the eight urgent and emergency care vanguard sites: Greater Nottingham System Resilience GroupCambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning GroupNorth East Urgent Care NetworkBarking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge System Resilience GroupWest Yorkshire Urgent Emergency Care NetworkLeicester, Leicestershire and Rutland System Resilience GroupSolihull Together for Better LivesSouth Devon and Torbay System Resilience Group

Prescriptions: ICT

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report of the Independent Cancer Taskforce entitled Achieving world-class cancer outcomes: a strategy for England 2015-2020, published in July 2015, what steps Monitor and NHS England have taken to introduce new sanctions for any provider not fully complying with electronic prescribing.

Jane Ellison: The independent Cancer Taskforce recommended that new sanctions should be introduced to encourage e-prescribing. A mechanism to enforce contractual sanctions for non-delivery of adult chemotherapy e-prescribing systems has been created from April 2016, which requires development of an action plan by 30 June 2016 and full implementation by 31 March 2017. For children, teenagers and young adults, providers will be required to produce a robust implementation plan by 30 September 2016 and to achieve full implementation by 30 September 2017.

NHS Improvement

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2016 to Question 37441, what the name is of each of the 27 hospitals supported by the Emergency Care Intensive Support Team.

Ben Gummer: The following 27 health systems and the hospitals within these are supported by the Emergency Care Intensive Support Team via the Emergency Care Improvement Programme: - Stoke & Staffordshire: County Hospital; Royal Stoke University Hospital- Shropshire: Royal Shrewsbury Hospital; Princess Royal Hospital- North Northamptonshire & Corby: Kettering General Hospital- Coventry & Rugby: University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire- Worcestershire: Worcestershire Royal Hospital; Alexandra Hospital- Wirral: Arrowe Park- Lincolnshire: Lincoln County Hospital; Grantham District Hospital; Pilgrim Hospital- Hull & East Riding: Hull Royal Hospital; Castle Hill Hospital- North Cumbria: Cumberland Infirmary Carlisle; West Cumberland Infirmary- York & Scarborough: York Hospital; Scarborough Hospital- Wakefield & North Kirklees: Pinderfields Hospital; Pontefract Hospital; Dewsbury and District Hospital- Kernow: Royal Cornwall Hospital- Kingston: Kingston Hospital- Bromley Lambeth & Southwark: King’s College Hospital - Denmark Hill; King’s College Hospital – Princess Grace- Wandsworth Sutton & Merton: St George’s Hospital; Queen Mary’s Roehampton- Cambridge & Ely: Addenbrooke’s Hospital- Portsmouth & South East Hampshire: Queen Alexandra Hospital- Western Devon: Plymouth Dereford Hospital- North Somerset & Medway: Weston General Hospital- Tower Hamlets Waltham Forest & Newham: Royal London Hospital; Whipps Cross Hospital- Brent & Harrow: Northwick Park Hospital- Mid Essex: Broomfield Hospital- Herts Valley & West Herts: Watford General Hospital- North East Essex: Colchester General Hospital- Brighton & Hove: Royal Sussex County Hospital- East Kent: Kent and Canterbury Hospital; William Harvey Hospital; Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother Hospital- Medway: Medway Hospital

Smoking

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of reductions in the public health grant for local authorities on local smoking cessation services in (a) Manchester, Withington constituency, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) the UK.

Jane Ellison: Local authorities will, over the next five years, receive £16 billion through the public health grant. Local authorities have responsibility for protecting public health and meeting the needs of their local population, including tobacco control. Public Health England supports local authorities by developing and distributing information and advice for the commissioning of effective regional approaches to tobacco control which maximise value for money at a local level.

Fertility: Medical Treatments

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 4 May 2016 to Question 36039, on fertility: medical treatments, which criteria set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2012 fertility services do not meet in order to be centrally commissioned.

Jane Ellison: The Health and Social Care Act 2012, part 1, Section 15, 3B (3), about services that the Secretary of States can require the Board (NHS England) to commission, states: “(3) In deciding whether it would be so appropriate, the Secretary of State must have regard to:(a) the number of individuals who require the provision of the service or facility;(b) the cost of providing the service or facility;(c) the number of persons able to provide the service or facility;(d) the financial implications for clinical commissioning groups if they were required to arrange for the provision of the service or facility.” The Clinical Advisory Group, which advised Ministers about the services that should be regarded as specialised and commissioned nationally by NHS England, took the view that fertility services would not meet (a) and (c) of these listed factors.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to make public decisions on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis taken at the meeting to consider the commissioning specialised services on 31 May 2016.

Jane Ellison: NHS England’s Specialised Services Commissioning Committee have considered and accepted NHS England’s external legal advice that it does not have the legal power to commission pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). However, work on PrEP is on-going and up to £2 million will be invested in a pilot programme to target those at highest risk over the course of two years. Public Health England is working to identify the most effective locations for the introduction of this pilot. The Department will be discussing future commissioning with stakeholders. Our £2.4 million national HIV Prevention and Sexual Health Promotion Programme also gives those at highest risk the best advice to make safer choices about sex.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost has been of delivering the HPV vaccination programme to girls excluding the cost of procuring the vaccine itself in each of the three most recent years for which data is available.

Jane Ellison: NHS England has had responsibility for the delivery of the human papillomavirus (HPV) immunisation programme as part of the public health function section 7a agreement from 2013/14. The cost of delivery is not separately identifiable at a national level from the total costs of the programme.Costs of the HPV programme are unable to be provided as this is deemed commercially sensitive information and would, or be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of the supplier and/or programme.

Heart Diseases

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 12 May 2016 to Question 36856, on heart diseases, when his Department plans to instruct NICE to develop specific clinical guidelines on the diagnosis, referral and treatment of patients with heart valve disease.

George Freeman: NHS England is responsible for commissioning clinical guidelines on healthcare topics from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NHS England has advised that it has no plans to ask NICE to develop specific clinical guidelines on the diagnosis, referral and treatment of patients with heart valve disease at this time.

Health Services: Disability

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how his Department monitors the progress of organisations providing NHS or adult social care towards conforming to the Accessible Information Standard.

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS trusts conform to the Accessible Information Standard.

Alistair Burt: NHS England published the Accessible Information Standard in July 2015. Compliance with the Standard is a legal duty and organisations that provide National Health Service care or adult social care are required to implement the Standard in full by 31 July 2016. Compliance with the Standard is also a requirement of the NHS Standard Contract 2016/17. NHS England does not hold information on how many NHS trusts conform to the Standard. NHS England is not proactively monitoring progress of organisations that provide NHS or adult social care towards conforming to the Accessible Information Standard, as the Standard does not establish a new national audit or dataset which requires organisations to report centrally on their adherence. In addition, NHS England as an organisation does not have a monitoring or inspection remit. However, the Standard includes requirements for organisations to publish or display an accessible communications policy which explains how they will follow the Accessible Information Standard, and an accessible complaints policy. The inclusion of these requirements is intended to support ease of compliance assessment by interested organisations, and to ensure that people with information and communication support needs are able to provide feedback to organisations about their experiences. The specification for the Standard also makes clear that commissioning organisations must actively support compliance by organisations from which they commission services and must also seek assurance from providers in this regard. In addition, the Care Quality Commission will look at evidence of how services implement the Accessible Information Standard as part of their inspection of health services and adult social care services when they make judgements about whether health services are responsive to people’s needs, and adult social care services are responsive to people’s needs and whether they are well led.

Department of Heath: Per Capita Costs

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the change by his Department in total spend per head of population is in 2016-17.

Alistair Burt: The estimated increase in total spend per head of population in England by the Department from 2015-16 to 2016-17 is £51.00 or 2.4%.

Health Services: Per Capita Costs

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the public sector spend on health per head of population (a) in real terms and (b) as a proportion of GDP in each year between 2015-16 and 2020-21.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the proportion of GDP spent on health in 2020-21.

Alistair Burt: Spend as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is stated on United Kingdom public expenditure figures and is produced by HM Treasury. The Department is responsible for reporting on health spend in England and is not in a position to provide equivalent spend figures for health by the devolved administrations in future years. The Spending Review settlement, delivered by the Chancellor on 25 November, set the Department’s overall budget for the remaining years of the parliament and the level of funding that will be available to the National Health Service. It set absolute spending totals, not spending as a percentage of GDP, providing certainty for financial planning over the period.

NHS: Finance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects NHS providers to return to surplus.

Alistair Burt: The Government’s Mandate to NHS England 2016-17, sets very clear expectations for this year including a specific objective to balance the National Health Service budget.Details can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/494485/NHSE_mandate_16-17_22_Jan.pdf

NHS: Working Hours

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS trusts and foundation trusts met the 10 seven-day services clinical standards and the four priority standards set out by Sir Bruce Keogh in his December 2013 report, NHS Services, Seven Days a Week Forum: Summary of Initial Findings, in 2015-16.

Ben Gummer: There is a phased approach to implementation of the four priority standards. By March 2017, 25% of the population will be guaranteed access to the four standards, seven days a week, rising to the whole country by 2020. An initial self-assessment of progress on meeting the four priority clinical standards was carried out by trusts in August 2015. This showed that around half of trusts are meeting two or more of the clinical standards. Following feedback from trusts, the self-assessment process is being improved for future surveys.

Fertility: Medical Treatments

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 4 May 2016 to Question 36039, on fertility: medical treatments, which services NHS England commissions centrally.

George Freeman: NHS England is responsible for directly commissioned services which include not only specialised services, but also offender and military health services, as well as primary care services such as optometry and dentistry. A complete list of Prescribed Specialised Services for 2016/17 can be found in the attached document.



Prescribed Specialised Services for 2016/17
(Word Document, 25.3 KB)

Epilepsy: Death

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 4 May 2016 to Question 35934, on epilepsy: death, when he plans to publish a report containing the information collected from GP clinical systems referred to in that Answer.

Alistair Burt: The Health and Social Care Information Centre publish their reports for indicators that are no longer on the Quality and Outcomes Framework such as EP002 and EP003 on epilepsy. The latest publication was on 22 March 2016 for the year 2014/15. The report can be found here:http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB18887/qof-1415-Report%20v1.1.pdfThere are no plans to publish data relating to epilepsy deaths.

Fertility: Medical Treatments

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 4 May 2016 to Question 35765, whether officials of his Department discussed the findings of the report by Fertility Fairness, 2015 Audit of Specialist Fertility Services in England, during their meeting with that organisation in December 2015.

Jane Ellison: The meeting that I and Departmental officials had with Fertility Fairness on 14 December was arranged in the light of the publication of `2015 Audit of Specialist Fertility Services in England’ and issues highlighted in the report were discussed.

Department of Health: Mass Media

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department's policy is on media appearances of officials of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: All officials working in the Department are expected to adhere to the Civil Service code, which sets out the values and behaviours expected of civil servants, including integrity, honesty, and objectivity. Where it is appropriate for very senior officials to undertake media activity, they must at all times uphold these values, as well as taking account of the ethical standards governing particular professions.

NHS: Logos

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department's policy is on the use of the NHS logo by organisations and people outside the NHS.

George Freeman: The National Health Service logo should only be used by NHS organisations, or on services and information that the NHS is involved with. This is to protect the NHS from being seen as the source of materials that have not originated from the NHS, nor had any involvement from the NHS.

NHS: Logos

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the NHS logo is a registered trademark; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: The National Health Service logo is a registered trademark.

London Ambulance Service: Paramedical Staff

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve the recruitment and retention of paramedics employed by the London Ambulance Service.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effects on public health of changes in the number of paramedics employed by the London Ambulance Service.

Ben Gummer: We are advised by London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS) that during 2015/16 it recruited 717 frontline staff. In doing so, LAS achieved its recruitment target and filled all its available frontline posts. We understand that LAS has put in place a number of measures to help it support and retain staff. These measures include updating the vehicle fleet and re-launching the trust’s learning and development function. LAS has also established a new clinical team leader role, with 50% of the role devoted to supporting staff. Demand on the service has increased significantly over the past five years. During March 2016, demand was the highest on record for patients with serious and life threatening illnesses. LAS continues to work to improve services for patients by focusing on reducing demand, recruiting more staff and supporting staff to work more efficiently.

NHS: Finance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the King's Fund Quarterly Monitoring Report 19, published in May 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We recognise that very real financial and operational challenges face our health and care services. However, we are committed to a sustainable future for our National Health Service.The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to the NHS by again committing to increase health funding each year in this parliament, in spite of the continuing fiscal challenges.By 2020-21, the Government will increase funding for the NHS by £10 billion a year in real terms compared with 2014-15, to support the implementation of the NHS’s own plan - the NHS Five Year Forward View - to transform services across the country. And we will be giving the NHS £3.8 billion more this year (2016-17), over and above inflation, and almost £6 billion of the £10 billion in the first two years of the six-year period.It is not, however, down to funding alone. The health system needs to match the increase in funding with service transformation and it is vitally important that we continue to strive for efficiency and give support to the development of new, more integrated, models of care; to the use of technology and transparency of data to drive up quality and choice for patients; to local areas to determine what is right for them through devolution; and to drive up the focus on prevention.The NHS achieving 2-3% net efficiency gains each year until 2020-21 would represent a strong performance but it is achievable. We have already begun introducing measures to help spend taxpayers’ money more efficiently and reduce waste immediately and for the future - making sure every penny possible is spent on patient care.

MRSA

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the relationship between hand hygiene compliance levels across the NHS and rates of trust-assigned MRSA bacteraemia in 2015.

Ben Gummer: As hand hygiene is known to be an important part of a robust approach to infection prevention and control the Department’s guidance to the National Health Service on infection prevention and control was strengthened last year. However, a national assessment for 2015 is not available as information on hand hygiene compliance is not collected centrally. Auditing of hand hygiene is a local responsibility.

Medicine: Research

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of patients who participated in medical research in each year since 2010; and what steps his Department is taking to encourage patient participation in such research.

George Freeman: Estimated annual data are not available on the total number of patients who participated in medical research. Recruitment in England to studies hosted by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network is shown in the following table. 2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15564,698595,540637,974604,216618,453 The NHS Constitution includes the following pledge: “The NHS commits to inform you of research studies in which you may be eligible to participate’”. The Department, through the NIHR, has a number of initiatives to deliver on the pledge including the UK Clinical Trials Gateway https://www.ukctg.nihr.ac.uk which is a public website where patients, carers and clinicians can find out about clinical studies underway. The NIHR runs an annual national campaign called ‘Ok to ask’, to encourage the public to ask their clinician about research participation. In addition, in 2014, the NIHR launched Join Dementia Research to encourage 100,000 people to volunteer to participate in dementia research by 2020.

Health Services

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when NHS England plans to publish its response to its consultation on developing a method to assist investment decisions in specialised services.

George Freeman: The proposed prioritisation methodology which went out to consultation was signed off by the Specialised Commissioning Committee at its meeting on 31 May 2016 – for use in 2016/17.The consultation outcome document will now be published on the website imminently.There will be further work undertaken on the methodology in due course to refine and improve it for use in future years.

Health Services

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS England's new prioritisation framework for making decisions on investment in specialised services will be aligned with the recommendations of the accelerated access review.

George Freeman: The Accelerated Access Review team has been working closely with colleagues across NHS England, including the specialised commissioning team to ensure that policy is aligned.

Clinical Priorities Advisory Group

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when NHS England plans to publish the (a) agenda for and (b) minutes of the June 2016 meeting of its Commissioning Priorities Advisory Group.

George Freeman: The clinical commissioning policy propositions that will be considered for relative prioritisation by the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) in June have already been published by NHS England and been the subject of public consultation. These can be found at: https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/advanced_consultation_finder?st=closed The recommendations of CPAG will be considered by a sub-committee of the NHS England Board (the Specialised Services Commissioning Committee) at the end of June 2016. After this meeting, the list of policies approved for routine commissioning will be published on the NHS England website.

Lyme Disease

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the (a) efficiency of existing diagnostic tests and (b) effectiveness of current treatments for Lyme disease.

Jane Ellison: Lyme disease is a complex infection where challenges in understanding of disease progression, and consequently diagnosis and treatment, remain. The National Health Service and Public Health England (PHE) use well established validated diagnostic tests for Lyme disease that are highly reproducible between laboratories. International External Quality Assurance schemes are in place to ensure consistency between different test centres. Commercial manufacturers and international academic groups have research programmes into improved tests and PHE continuously reviews new Lyme serology tests and will validate and implement new tests if appropriate. All treatment for Lyme disease within the NHS should be evidence based, and targeted at the disease mechanisms underlying those symptoms. Most cases are diagnosed in primary care and PHE has published a referral pathway for general practitioners to follow to ensure problem cases are seen by an appropriate NHS specialist. To further strengthen the evidence base we have commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to develop a new clinical guideline on Lyme disease, for both primary and secondary care, for publication in 2018. The Department is also commissioning three Systematic Reviews by independent academic groups to cover ― diagnosis and diagnostic tests;― treatment; and― epidemiology/transmission routes.

Cancer: Drugs

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 2 March 2016 to Question 29364, what the grounds are for the Public Health England Office for Data Release denying requests made to it for information collected via the Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy dataset; what the timescale is for that office to respond to any requests made; and whether there will be a public announcement setting out the date when requests for data may be made to that office.

George Freeman: Public Health England (PHE) is making data collected as part of the Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy dataset available through its Office for Data Release (ODR) function. The data have been available since April 2016 and the ODR is currently processing requests. The priority of PHE, and the ODR, is to maintain patient confidentiality and therefore data will only be released to external parties in a format that does not compromise patient confidentiality either directly or by inference.

General Practitioners: Mid Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons GP practice lists have been closed in East Grinstead; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to expand health services in Mid Sussex to meet increased housing and population numbers.

Alistair Burt: NHS England has advised that the Horsham and Mid Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is using the predicted population data from the developing estates strategy to model health services to meet the increased demand. NHS England further advises that it is working closely with the CCG to develop an action plan for local primary care services in East Grinstead. NHS England is responsible for commissioning of primary care in Mid Sussex. NHS England advises that only one general practitioner practice in Grinstead has closed its list to new patients and two others have applied to close their lists but are still currently being allocated patients by NHS England.

Hospitals: Hygiene

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to page 23 of the final report of the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, published in May 2016, what steps his Department is taking to address the low level of adherence to proper hand hygiene in hospitals and other care settings.

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to page 23 of the final report of the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, published in May 2016, what steps his Department is taking to address the substantial evidence gaps relating to effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of new technologies for improving hygiene.

Ben Gummer: Auditing to improve hand hygiene and ensuring appropriate use of technology are important local responsibilities which contribute to improving the quality of care. However, tackling healthcare associated infections is complex and requires a strong patient safety system that integrates cleanliness, infection prevention and control and antibiotic use and addresses them all.To help the National Health Service improve infection prevention and control we continuously review and enhance national measures, systems and guidance. For example, reducing infections is part of the Guidance for the NHS on Sustainability and Transformation Plans. Antimicrobial resistance was added to Public Health England’s (PHE) Fingertips data system in April to enable easier monitoring and benchmarking against other organisations. PHE’s Rapid Review Panel assesses new products and technologies aiming to reduce infections and in addition the Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including hygiene.The NIHR also supports research infrastructure in the NHS including Diagnostic Evidence Co-operatives which generate evidence on diagnostic medical devices that have the potential to lead to improvements in healthcare services and the quality of life of NHS patients. Two of these, based at Imperial and Newcastle, focus part of their work on clinical areas relevant to infection.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of whether the NHS Constitution's commitment to provide a comprehensive service available to all, irrespective of gender, is consistent with a policy of not providing an HPV vaccination programme for boys.

Jane Ellison: The NHS Constitution’s principle of a comprehensive service, available to all, does not mean that boys are automatically eligible to receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination because eligibility for the programme is based on expert advice. The Government is advised on immunisation matters by the independent expert committee, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which provides evidence-based advice.The NHS Constitution states that people have the right to receive the vaccinations that the JCVI recommends that they should receive under an NHS-provided national immunisation programme. The JCVI has not yet recommended the introduction of an HPV vaccination programme for boys. It is currently considering this issue and its advice is expected in 2017.

General Practitioners: Dorset

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP practices in Dorset provide phlebotomy services; and what action his Department is taking to increase the number of practices providing such services.

Alistair Burt: NHS England advises that 83 out of 98 general practitioner (GP) practices in Dorset provide practice based phlebotomy as an enhanced service. All patients registered at GP practices in Dorset have access to phlebotomy services, which are provided from a variety of locations, including GP practices and other sites.The Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group is in the process of reviewing the provision of all phlebotomy services across Dorset to see how current provision could be improved. This is also a feature of the Clinical Services Review which is looking at how a wider range of services, closer to people’s homes can be offered.

Detention Centres: Mental Health Services

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what provisions are in place at detention centres for people suffering with mental health conditions.

Ben Gummer: People detained in immigration removal centres (IRCs) should receive an equivalent range and quality of treatment and services for their mental health needs to those in the community with similar clinical needs. Health care in IRCs in England is commissioned by NHS England, who commission evidence-based treatments approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. NHS England commissions services against service specifications which define the standards of care expected from healthcare providers.

Dementia

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many emergency readmissions within 28 days of discharge there were for patients with a primary or secondary diagnosis of dementia in (a) England and (b) each clinical commissioning group and primary care trust area in each of the last six years.

Jane Ellison: The information is not held in the format requested.

Bernie Cuthell

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was paid by the NHS Trust Development Authority to meet the salary costs of the former Chief Executive of Liverpool Community Trust, Bernie Cuthell, during her (a) secondment to Manchester Mental Health Trust and (b) employment at the Betsi Cadwaladr NHS Trust.

Ben Gummer: This is a matter for NHS Improvement. We are informed by NHS Improvement that no payment was made by the NHS Trust Development Authority (NHS TDA) in connection with Bernie Cuthel’s secondment and employment at Manchester Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust or her employment at the Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board. The NHS TDA became part of NHS Improvement in April 2016.

General Practitioners: West Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which GP practice lists in West Sussex have been closed in the last 12 months; and for what reasons each such list was closed.

Alistair Burt: NHS England has advised that two surgeries in West Sussex have closed their practice lists. This information does not account for any practice list closure that may have occurred in April 2016 and May 2016. Ship Street Surgery in East Grinstead applied to formally close their patient list to new patient registrations, which was approved for a six month period from 1 April 2016, with a review after three months. Additionally, Bridge Medical Centre in Crawley also recently applied to NHS England to formally close its list to new patients, which was approved for a period of 12 months from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017, subject to a review at three months. NHS England advises there has been increased demand on general practitioner services in the area due to new housing developments. NHS England is working with the practices and Horsham and Mid Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group to put in place action plans to address the situation in East Grinstead.

Hospitals: Admissions

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many readmissions within 28 days of discharge from hospital there were for patients over the age of (a) 65, (b) 80 and (c) 90 in (i) England and (ii) each clinical commissioning group and primary care trust area in each of the last six years.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients were discharged from hospital between 11pm and 6am in each of the last six years.

George Freeman: The information is not held in the format requested.

Pharmacy

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on the range of free services offered by community pharmacies of the planned changes in funding for such pharmacies.

Alistair Burt: We have made no assessment. Information on the range of services individual community pharmacies choose to provide free to their customers beyond those commissioned by the National Health Service is not collected.

Nurses: Training

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding has been allocated by Health Education England for clinical placements for the new nurse training places his Department plans to deliver by the end of the Parliament.

Ben Gummer: Following the reforms to higher education healthcare funding, the Government, through Health Education England, will retain the responsibility for commissioning and funding the minimum numbers of clinical placements required to produce sufficient healthcare graduates. The Government is consulting on the widest possible funding solutions to ensure there is sufficient placement capacity across the system, in order to match the expanded number of training places created by the reforms.

Health Professions: Training

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average length is of nursing, midwifery and allied healthcare students' clinical placements taken in each year of their degree.

Ben Gummer: The information about the average length of clinical placements for nursing, midwifery and allied healthcare students taken in each year of their degree is not collected by the Department.

London Ambulance Service: Paramedical Staff

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 12 May 2016 to Question 37016, what assessment he has made of the change in the number of full-time equivalent paramedics employed by the London Ambulance Service over the last three years.

Ben Gummer: We are advised by London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS) that during 2015/16, it recruited 717 frontline staff. In doing so, LAS achieved its recruitment target and filled all its available frontline posts.

NHS: Correspondence

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to reduce the cost to the NHS of postage of appointment notifications to patients.

George Freeman: The National Information Board’s strategy document Personalised Health and Care 2020 (published November 2014) set out the aim to support greater uptake of the use of digital systems in health and care to create a National Health Service paper free at the point of care by 2020. This will remove the system’s reliance on paper and will help reduce postal service costs for the NHS. In the case of appointment letters for patients the new NHS e-referral system, introduced last year, already allows healthcare providers to choose not to send out appointment letters, instead allowing patients to access the information directly from the NHS e-referral system. Patients have an option to print off the details of their appointment if they prefer to have a paper copy of the information. We expect increasing numbers of providers will use this functionality to help contain costs.

Hospitals: Admissions

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what change there was in the level of emergency admissions of older people between 2010-11 and 2014-15 in the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Ben Gummer: Between 2010-11 and 2014-15, there was a 5.4% increase in the number of emergency admissions of patients aged 65 and over at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Obesity: Children

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether it is planned that the Government's childhood obesity strategy will include targets for industry to reduce levels of (a) fat and (b) salt in food and drink.

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether it is planned that the Government's childhood obesity strategy will include measures restricting the marketing of unhealthy foods to children.

Jane Ellison: Our Childhood Obesity Strategy, which will be launched in the summer, will look at everything that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese. It will set out what more can be done by all.

Cystic Fibrosis: Children

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children under the age of 18 in England have cystic fibrosis.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the additional costs incurred by a family raising a child with cystic fibrosis.

Jane Ellison: The Department has made no such assessment. The families of children with cystic fibrosis may be eligible for social care support, continuing care in the home, and Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments, based on the level of the child or young person’s needs.The number of children under the age of 18 with cystic fibrosis is not collected centrally. It is estimated that one in every 2,500 babies born in England has cystic fibrosis.

Hospitals: Discharges

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to (a) Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust and (b) West Sussex County Council of delays in discharging older patients from hospital in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alistair Burt: The Department has made no formal estimate of the costs of delayed discharges to the National Health Service or individual hospitals.

Hospital Beds

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many bed days were lost due to delayed transfers of care in Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust in 2015.

Alistair Burt: In 2015 there were 11,907 delayed transfers of care at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust. MonthNumber of delayed transfers of care (days)January 20151,194February 20151,047March 2015958April 2015824May 2015916Jun 20151,098July 20151,139August 20151,089September 2015861October 20151,017November 2015975December 2015789Total11,907 Source: Delayed transfers of care, NHS England

Women and Equalities

Prosecutions: Northern Ireland

Diana Johnson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and (b) members of the Northern Ireland Executive about the prosecution of women in Northern Ireland under the Offences against the Person Act 1861.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government regularly discusses equalities issues with the Devolved Administrations, including the Northern Ireland Executive. We also raise important issues with territorial offices when necessary, having due regard to devolution arrangements.As part of the Northern Ireland Devolution Settlement, prosecutions under the Offences against the Person Act 1861 are a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive.